A portable defibrillator or AED (automated external defibrillator) is a device which is used to treat several heart condition on the spot, thus potentially saving the patients life. Portable defibrillators can be useful in case of cardiac arrhythmia, ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia.

In case of an emergency situation where a person needs defibrillation, any person with access to a portable defibrillator can use it, even though they might not have medical training to do so. Most portable defibrillators have clear audio and written instruction as such to make it easy to use by anyone.

The best place for any portable defibrillator is in a public location such as churches, office buildings or schools. This is because these kind of places are most likely to encounter situations where a portable defibrillator might be useful. However, they can also be installed in homes, especially if there are one or more persons living there known to have cardiac problems of some sort.