To elaborate on what Vunderbob, said, they are VERY good at distinguishing different arrhythmias. I had a job where I tested medical equipment, and that included both the wall-mounted AED (automated external defibrillator) and regular ol “paddle” defibs. I used a testing apparatus that did two things…it simulated a cardiac rhythm, and it measured the energy the defib actually discharged.
It was able to simulate v-tach, v-fib, a-fib, bradycardia, and even more complex rhythms, and not once did I ever encounter an AED that advised giving/gave a shock to a non-shockable rhythm.
Bill, I don’t know how severe your A-fib is, but I strongly adivse getting a Medic Alert bracelet or necklace. As you probably know, should an attack last for a few days, it can be dangerous as it may cause blood clots that can be life threatening.
I’ve had it for years and not so long ago, it began to be very severe, with bouts evey day or so lasting 12-18 hours, with tachycardia of 180 beats or so. Twice was rushed to ER and admitted to the hospital. I had a pacemaker installed. They tried a couple of powerful drugs that not only had severe side effects, but did not do much to help.
Then, about a year ago I was started on a med called Rythmol, which has stopped any attacks of a-fib for more than a year, with no side effects at all. You might want to ask your doc about that.