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If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally or is only gasping, call 911 (or your local emergency number) now. Put the phone on speaker, follow the dispatcher’s instructions, and start or continue CPR. Ask another person to find an accessible AED while help is on the way; do not pause the emergency response to search alone.

What to do right now

  1. Check scene safety. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally or is only gasping, call 911 in the United States, or your local emergency number elsewhere. Use speakerphone if possible and follow the call-taker’s directions. Many U.S. 911 centers can give step-by-step first-aid or CPR instructions while help is coming (911.gov).
  2. Delegate clearly. Ask one person to call if that has not been done, another to start or continue CPR, and another to retrieve an accessible AED. The American Heart Association advises calling 911 and asking another person to bring an AED (AHA guidance).
  3. Tell the dispatcher the AED is unavailable. Give its location and say whether it is missing, locked, or showing a fault. Ask whether someone should check another accessible AED. Keep the dispatcher involved and keep CPR moving; whether a lone rescuer should leave the person depends on the circumstances, so there is no universal instruction to do so.
  4. Use another AED if one arrives. Turn it on and follow its spoken prompts and pad diagrams. Continue CPR as directed until the person moves or emergency medical services take over (AHA guidance; FDA device overview).

What to do with the unavailable AED

If it is locked

Tell the dispatcher that you cannot access it and give the cabinet’s location. Ask what to do while the response continues and have another bystander check for an accessible alternative if available. Cabinet systems, opening procedures, and access hours vary by site; do not assume a dispatcher can unlock it, and do not treat breaking into a cabinet or entering a restricted area as general advice.

If it is missing

Ask a bystander to check another nearby location or device while CPR continues. Public AEDs may be found in places such as airports, community centers, schools, government buildings, hospitals, offices, malls, and grocery stores, but a nearby facility may not be open or admit the public (FDA public-place guidance).

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If it appears faulty or incomplete

If the AED shows an error, has an expired status indicator, or appears to lack pads or another accessory, do not try to repair or troubleshoot it during the emergency. Tell the dispatcher, continue CPR, and use another accessible AED if one can be retrieved without delaying care.

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Why continuing CPR matters

The FDA says the probability of survival decreases by 7% to 10% for every minute a person remains in a life-threatening arrhythmia. That is a population-level warning about urgency, not a prediction of any one person’s outcome (FDA public-place guidance).

An AED analyzes heart rhythm and prompts the user through its operation. Do not wait for an AED before calling for help or starting CPR; use it when available and follow its prompts (FDA AED overview).

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Report the problem after the emergency

Once responders have taken over, notify the building or site operator if the AED was missing or inaccessible so they can address its location or access arrangements. For a suspected device or accessory malfunction, consumers and health professionals can submit a voluntary report through FDA MedWatch. FDA lists reporting routes and details on its medical-device problem reporting page. A single nationwide public-AED outage registry is not established by the sources cited here.

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In the United States, the AHA says lay users can operate public-access AEDs by following the device’s prompts and recommends training (FDA AED overview). Emergency numbers, dispatcher capabilities, AED inventories, and access rules vary outside the United States and between locations.

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