An AED has no "pressure test", it has self-tests, checks and manual-driven maintenance.
People who search for "AED testing" almost always want to know one thing: how often does a semi-automatic defibrillator need checking. The word "testing" is really borrowed from fire extinguishers, where it means a pressure test on the cylinder. What an AED actually has is a self-test, a visual check and maintenance carried out to the manufacturer's manual. Here is what Italian rules require, who is responsible, and what changes in the other countries.
"Testing" is the wrong word, but the question behind it is the right one
Anyone typing "AED testing" is almost always looking for the same thing: how often a semi-automatic defibrillator needs to be checked. The word is really borrowed from fire extinguishers, where testing means a precise pressure test, with a date stamped on the cylinder. An AED has no pressure vessel, and no test in that technical sense.
What an AED actually has is three different things: an automatic self-test the device runs on its own, a visual check that falls to a person, and periodic technical maintenance carried out to the manufacturer's manual — and it's this last one that everyday language ends up calling, loosely, a "test".
The distinction isn't a technicality. An AED with a green self-test light can still have expired pads sitting in the pack, and no self-test catches that on its own. Knowing which check covers what is what keeps a problem from surfacing at the worst possible moment.
What keeps an AED actually ready to use
There isn't one check, there are four, and they aren't done by the same person. The first two show up on the device's indicator light or at a glance; the other two leave a report or a date printed on the packaging.
- 01
Self-test
daily, automatic
the device itself
- 02
Visual check
at least weekly, under the DM 16 marzo 2023
person appointed by the owner or organisation
- 03
Technical maintenance
as set by the manufacturer's manual
qualified technician or specialist company
- 04
Replacing pads and battery
at the expiry date printed on the consumable
appointed person or technician
The DM 24 aprile 2013 requires checks and maintenance to follow the schedules in the user manual. When the manual doesn't state an interval, technical practice adopts a maximum of 2 years, in line with the recommendations of Annex F of CEI EN 62353 for devices that act directly on cardiac activity — AEDs included.
How often, at a glance
Four activities, four different intervals. The self-test row is the one that reassures people most and tells them least: it covers the device, not the accessories.
| Activity | Who does it | How often | What happens if it's missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-test | the device itself | daily or continuous | a fault is flagged with an audible or visual alert |
| Visual check | person on site | at least weekly (DM 16 marzo 2023) | things the self-test can't see stay uncaught: a damaged case, missing accessories |
| Technical maintenance | qualified technician | as set by the manual; if unset, in practice no more than 2 years | the device should be treated as unreliable until it's checked |
| Pads | appointed person or technician | at the date printed on the pack, typically 2-3 years | adhesion to the skin is no longer guaranteed |
| Battery | appointed person or technician | at the date shown, typically 2-5 years depending on the model | the AED may fail to deliver a shock when needed |
Pad and battery expiry dates are printed on the component itself and vary from model to model: the manual is the source, not this table.
The visual check, in practice
It's the one check that doesn't need a technician: six points an appointed person can verify in under a minute, catching what the self-test alone doesn't see.
- The AED is where it should be, signposted and reachable without moving anything
- The self-test indicator light or display shows a normal status, not a fault
- The battery charge indicator doesn't show a low level
- The pad expiry date printed on the pack hasn't already passed
- The case is intact and the seal, where fitted, hasn't been tampered with
- Anything wrong is reported to the appointed person straight away, with date and description
Pads and battery run on a calendar of their own
Pad and battery expiry doesn't depend on how much the AED has been used: it's set in advance by the manufacturer and printed on the component. When it arrives, the pad or battery gets replaced even if the device has never been switched on for a real rescue.
They're also the two dates easiest to miss, because they don't show up on any visible tag the way a fire extinguisher's check does: you have to open the case and read the packaging. It's specific enough a topic to deserve a guide of its own, dedicated to batteries and pads.
A green light doesn't mean "all clear"
The most common mistake is stopping at the self-test: a green light and people assume the AED is ready, full stop. The self-test checks the internal electronics and the battery charge, not whether the pads are still within their expiry date or whether the case is reachable. The second mistake is assuming that, since there's no formal "test" the way there is for fire extinguishers, an AED has no binding deadlines at all: it does, they're just written in the manual rather than in a single standard.
Here too, dates alone aren't enough
An AED leaves at least four traces worth keeping: the self-test results whenever it flags a fault, the technical maintenance report, the expiry date of the pads fitted, and that of the battery in use. Keeping them in one place, instead of in someone's memory or on a sticky note inside the case, is what lets you answer "when was it last checked" on the spot.
This guide is informational material: it does not replace the standards cited, the manufacturer's manual or the judgement of a qualified technician. ToriSet organises deadlines and documents; it does not certify compliance.
The same deadlines, without the spreadsheet to recalculate.
Anyone who reaches the end of a guide like this one usually keeps the dates on a spreadsheet, on a tag, or from memory. It works as long as the assets are few and there is one person keeping track. Here is what changes with a logbook.
A spreadsheet with one date per row, on a single computer
A shared logbook: whoever opens the record sees what's due and who did the last job
You recalculate the next deadline yourself, if you remember
ToriSet calculates it from the last job: by months, by hours of use, or whichever comes first
The reminder is a sticky note or a diary
An email 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before, to you and to whoever has to act
Reports and invoices in a folder, to go looking for when needed
Attached to the job, on the product's record
What changes from one country to the next.
For a fire extinguisher the right word is a pressure test, with a date stamped on the cylinder. Not for an AED: it's a medical device, and in none of the five countries below does the regulation use that word to describe its checks. What does change a great deal is everything else — who's responsible, whether the law sets a fixed interval, or whether it all points back to the manufacturer's manual. The source that counts is still the standard cited, together with your unit's manual.
Your choice is remembered in this browser.
Italy
References
DM 24 aprile 2013
Requires the AED to undergo periodic checks and maintenance according to the schedules in the user manual, in line with the regulations on electromedical equipment.
Legge 116/2021
Promotes the spread of AEDs and makes installation mandatory at public administration premises, in transport, in schools and other listed locations, with 24-hour access where possible.
CEI EN 62353
The technical standard on electrical safety testing of electromedical devices: if the manual sets no interval, its Annex F recommends not exceeding 2 years for devices that act directly on cardiac activity, AEDs included.
Intervals
Self-test
daily, automatic
the device itself
Visual check
at least weekly, under the DM 16 marzo 2023
person appointed by the owner or organisation
Technical maintenance
as set by the manual; if unset, in practice no more than 2 years
qualified technician or specialist company
Pads and battery
at the date printed on the consumable
appointed person or technician
NoteIn hospitals maintenance is ordered by the doctor in charge; outside healthcare settings it falls to the owner of the activity or the organisation, usually through an appointed contact and a contract with a specialist company.
France
References
Code de la santé publique, art. R5212-14
Requires the operator ("exploitant") of the AED, as a medical device, to implement the maintenance and quality controls set out for it.
Décret n° 2018-1259 du 27 décembre 2018
Sets up the national AED database (Géo'DAE) and requires the operator to declare and keep the unit's location up to date.
Note d'information DGS/PP3/2025/121 du 3 octobre 2025
The health ministry's guidance on AED management and maintenance best practice: it recommends an appointed contact and a written contract with the servicing company, without setting a single interval.
Intervals
Self-test
continuous or daily, automatic
the unit itself
Visual check
monthly, in practice
appointed contact
Professional maintenance
no interval set by law: follows the manufacturer's manual, annual in practice
manufacturer, third-party service company or the operator itself
Declaration and update on Géo'DAE
on commissioning and at every change
operator
NoteFrench law sets no single maintenance interval: it always points back to the manufacturer's manual. Keeping an inventory and a maintenance log remains the operator's obligation regardless.
Germany
References
§ 12 MPBetreibV
Requires a safety technical inspection (Sicherheitstechnische Kontrolle) at least every 2 years for the active electromedical devices listed in the annex, AEDs included; for AEDs in public space intended for lay use, with self-test and regular visual checks by the operator, the periodic inspection may not be mandatory.
DIN EN 62353
The technical standard on periodic electrical safety testing of electromedical devices, AEDs included.
Intervals
Self-test
daily, automatic
the device itself
Sichtprüfung (visual check)
regular, per the operator's own schedule
staff or operator
Sicherheitstechnische Kontrolle (STK)
at least every 2 years, except for the self-testing public AED exemption
qualified person (Sachkundiger)
NoteMPBetreibV covers almost every operator except a private individual using their own unit for themselves: companies, sports clubs and public bodies all fall under the obligation. For self-testing public AEDs the two-yearly STK can be replaced by regular visual checks — but always check what the manufacturer requires.
Switzerland
References
LATer
The federal act on therapeutic products: the Swiss legal basis that places AEDs among medical devices and puts their oversight under Swissmedic.
ODmed
The implementing ordinance: anyone using an AED professionally must ensure its maintenance following quality-assurance principles, planned and organised internally.
Intervals
Self-test
daily, automatic
the device itself
Visual check
per the in-house plan of whoever operates it
appointed person
Maintenance
no interval set by law: follows the manufacturer's manual
supplier or qualified technician
NoteSwitzerland has no legal obligation to register an AED in a national database: the Defikarte.ch map is a voluntary initiative. For maintenance the source remains the manufacturer's manual, within the ODmed framework.
Austria
References
§ 6 MPBV
Requires a periodic technical safety inspection according to the intervals set by the manufacturer; if the manual doesn't state one, the competent person sets an interval of 6 to 24 months for the devices listed in the annex, AEDs included.
Anlage 1 MPBV
Lists the active non-implantable electromedical devices that generate and apply electrical energy to directly affect cardiac activity, AEDs included, subject to these tighter intervals.
Intervals
Self-test
daily, automatic
the device itself
Visual check
regular, per the operator's instructions
staff or operator
Wiederkehrende sicherheitstechnische Prüfung
per the manufacturer; if unset, 6 to 24 months
competent person
NoteUnlike Germany, Austrian rules set out no explicit exemption from periodic inspection for self-testing AEDs installed in public spaces: always check what your unit's manual says.
What we get asked most.
What is AED testing?
Strictly speaking, it doesn't exist: testing is a pressure test typical of fire extinguishers, and an AED has no cylinder to test. Anyone searching for "AED testing" usually means the periodic maintenance set out in the manufacturer's manual, alongside the automatic self-test and the visual check that the DM 24 aprile 2013 requires for these devices.
How often does an AED need maintenance?
The interval is set by the manufacturer's manual, as required by the DM 24 aprile 2013. If the manual sets no interval, Annex F of CEI EN 62353 recommends not exceeding 2 years for devices that act directly on cardiac activity. On top of that come the automatic daily self-test and an at-least-weekly visual check, logged in the register provided for by the DM 16 marzo 2023.
Who is responsible for defibrillator maintenance?
Outside healthcare settings, responsibility falls on the owner of the activity or the organisation, which in practice appoints a contact person and often signs a contract with a specialist company. In hospitals it's the doctor in charge who orders maintenance. The actual technical maintenance remains the job of a qualified technician either way.
What does an AED's self-test check, and what does it miss?
The self-test automatically checks the internal electronics, the battery charge and the ability to deliver a shock. It doesn't check whether the pads fitted are still within their expiry date, whether the case is reachable, or whether accessories are missing: that's why a periodic visual check is still needed.
Does ToriSet handle AED maintenance for me?
ToriSet helps you keep to the deadlines: you record your AED with its model, serial number and the pads fitted, and from there you track the technical maintenance date, the pad expiry and the battery expiry, with automatic reminders before they pass. The maintenance itself remains the qualified technician's job, and the obligations set by law remain yours.
A ready AED isn't a "tested" AED: it's a checked one.
Self-test, visual check, technical maintenance, pads and battery: four different intervals on a single unit. Put your AED in one place and let the reminders arrive before a deadline slips by unnoticed.
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