P a r t

3

38

A

B

Figure 26.

 

AED pad placement options on an adult victim. 

A, 

Anterolateral. 

B, 

Anteroposterior.

Critical Concepts

AED Pad Placement Options

AED pads should be placed by following the diagram on the pads. The 2 common 
placements are anterolateral and anteroposterior.

Anterolateral Placement

As shown in Figure 26A, both pads will be placed on the victim’s bare chest.

• Place one AED pad directly below the right collarbone. 
• Place the other pad to the side of the left nipple, with the top edge of the pad a few 

inches below the armpit.

Anteroposterior Placement

As shown in Figure 26B, one pad will be placed on the victim’s bare chest (anterior), and 
the other will be placed on the victim’s back (posterior).

• Place one AED pad on the left side of the chest, between the victim’s left side of the 

breastbone and left nipple.

• Place the other pad on the left side of the victim’s back, next to the spine.

Caution

Child AED Pads

Your AED may also include smaller pads that are designed for children under 8 years of 
age. However, you should not use the child pads for an adult. The shock dose delivered 
by child pads is too small for an adult and will likely not be successful. It is better to 
provide high-quality CPR than to attempt to shock an adult victim with child pads.