Jargon Buster
Welcome to our Defibrillator Jargon Buster, a simple, no-nonsense guide to help you understand the terms and phrases you might come across when learning about defibrillators and heart health. Whether you’re a healthcare provider, workplace safety officer, a concerned parent, or simply a first-time buyer seeking to make an informed purchase, this glossary is here to take the confusion out of technical talk.
What is a Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)?
A small implantable device that both slows down an unusually fast heart rate and automatically delivers small electrical shocks when the unit detects cardiac arrhythmia. These units are often implanted into people who have a high chance of experiencing cardiac arrest.
What is IP an Rating?
IP Rating stands for ingress protection rating and indicates how well a device is protected against water and dust. The ratings are made up codes (upto 3 digits) as detailed in the table.
| IP # | First Number - Protection against solids | Second Number - Protection against liquids | Third Number - Protection against mechanical impacts (often omitted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | No Protection | No Protection | No Protection |
| 1 | Protected against solid objects over 50mm | Protected against vertically falling drops of water | Protected against impact of 0.225 joules |
| 2 | Protected against solid objects over 12mm | Protected against direct sprays up to 15 deg. from vertical | Protected against impact of 0.375 joules |
| 3 | Protected against solid objects over 2.5mm | Protected against direct sprays up to 60 deg. from vertical | Protected against impact of 0.5 joules |
| 4 | Protected against solid objects over 1mm | Protected against direct sprays from all directions - limited ingress permitted | Protected against impact of 2.0 joules |
| 5 | Protected against dust - limited ingress permitted | Protected against low pressure jets from all directions - limited ingress permitted | Protected against impact of 6.0 joules |
| 6 | Totally protected against dust | Protected against strong jets from all directions - limited ingress permitted | Protected against impact of 20.0 joules |
| 7 | Protected against effects of immersion from 15cm - 1m | ||
| 8 | Protected against long periods of immersion under pressure | ||
| 9 | Protected against close-range, high pressure, high temperature spray downs |
For example IP65 would be interpreted for protection as follows: 6 (being the first number of the code, the number relates to the second column in the table) - Totally protected against dust, and 5 (being the second number of the code, the number relates to the third column in the table) - Protected against low pressure jets of liquids from all directions - limited ingress permitted.
This system is designed for IP ratings of up to three digits.