Discontinued AED Models: How To Tell If Yours Can Still Be Maintained
The short answer. An AED does not announce that it has gone unsupported. It sits in its cabinet looking exactly as it did last year. If the pads and battery for your model are no longer manufactured, the device cannot be kept rescue-ready, and most state AED requirements are written around maintaining a device per the manufacturer's guidelines.
Models Whose Consumables Have Been Discontinued
| Device | Consumable Affected | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|
| LIFEPAK CR Plus | QUIK-PAK electrodes, CHARGE-PAK charger | February 2026 |
| LIFEPAK EXPRESS | QUIK-PAK electrodes, CHARGE-PAK charger | February 2026 |
| HeartSine samaritan PAD 300 | Pad-Pak, Pediatric-Pak | February 3, 2022 |
| HeartSine samaritan PAD 300P | Pad-Pak, Pediatric-Pak | February 3, 2022 |
Dates as stated in Stryker's December 2025 customer letter regarding QUIK-PAK and CHARGE-PAK discontinuation and in Stryker's emergency care end-of-life notice. Confirm current status with Stryker or an authorized distributor before acting on any individual device.
End Of Support Is Not A Recall
These two things get confused constantly, and the difference matters for how you respond.
A recall is a safety action. Something about the device or its components has been identified as a potential hazard, there is usually a defined correction, and the manufacturer contacts registered owners directly. A recall tells you to do something now.
End of support is a commercial lifecycle decision. The device is not alleged to be unsafe. The manufacturer has simply stopped producing it, and eventually stops producing the parts it consumes. Nobody calls you. There is no notice on the device. The first sign most owners get is a reorder that cannot be filled, which usually happens at exactly the moment the pads have expired and the device is already out of service.
That silence is the whole problem. A recall creates urgency on its own. End of support creates a gap that sits unnoticed for years.
The Stryker Notice And What It Covers
In December 2025, Stryker notified customers that QUIK-PAK electrodes and the CHARGE-PAK battery charger would be discontinued in February 2026, with warranty claims honored for ninety days. Those are the consumables for the LIFEPAK CR Plus and the LIFEPAK EXPRESS, two devices Stryker's end-of-life notice lists as having come off the United States market on October 31, 2020. The letter directs owners to contact a Stryker representative or an authorized distributor about options, and names the LIFEPAK CR2 and LIFEPAK 1000 as the company's current models.
The same end-of-life notice lists the HeartSine samaritan PAD 300 and 300P as discontinued, with the Pad-Pak and Pediatric-Pak unavailable for use after February 3, 2022.
Read plainly: if your organization owns a CR Plus or an EXPRESS, the window for restocking it through the manufacturer has closed. A facilities director with four CR Plus units across four buildings does not have four working AEDs.
How To Identify What You Actually Own
Most people responsible for an AED program inherited it, and the paperwork rarely came with it. You can get what you need off the device itself in about a minute.
- Take the unit off the wall or out of the cabinet. The information you need is on the back or the underside, not the front.
- Find the model name. Printed on the label, usually alongside the manufacturer's name. LIFEPAK CR Plus and LIFEPAK CR2 are different devices with similar names, so read it carefully rather than from memory.
- Find the serial number. This is what the manufacturer needs for any recall or support question.
- Find the manufacture date. Often shown as a year and month, sometimes beside a small factory or hourglass symbol.
- Photograph the whole label. One clear photo per device, filed by building and room. This becomes your inventory record and saves the next person from repeating the exercise.
- Check the pads and battery. Expiration dates are printed on the packaging. Write down the earliest one, because that is the date your device actually goes out of service.
Not sure what you are looking at? Send us a photo of the label and we will identify the model and tell you whether its consumables are still manufactured. No obligation attached to the answer.
Why This Is A Compliance Question, Not Only A Procurement One
State AED statutes and program requirements are generally written around maintaining and testing the device in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines. Those guidelines assume parts exist. When the pads and battery for a model are no longer manufactured, the maintenance obligation becomes one you cannot satisfy, regardless of intent or budget.
Requirements differ meaningfully from state to state, and organizations in schools, youth sports and healthcare are often covered by rules that general workplaces are not. Check what applies to you in our 50-state AED law and compliance guide.
The Three-Check Audit
Run this against every device your organization owns, before the fiscal year closes.
- Is the model still supported? Confirm with the manufacturer or an authorized distributor, not from memory.
- Are the pads and battery still manufactured? A model can remain in service long after its consumables stop being produced.
- Are the current pads and battery in date? Record the earliest expiration across the whole fleet and calendar it.
Three checks per device. The output is a straightforward picture of your real coverage, which is almost never the same as your device count.
Planning A Staged Replacement
Organizations that discover several unsupported units rarely replace them all at once, and they do not need to. Prioritize by exposure: the highest-traffic location, the site with the longest EMS response, the building where a device is the only one on the property. Work down from there across budget cycles, and retire units as they are replaced rather than leaving an unmaintainable device in a cabinet where someone may reach for it.
For retired units, ask the manufacturer about its disposal or return guidance, and remove the pads and battery before the device leaves the building so it cannot be mistaken for a ready one.
Device Documentation And Training
For anything specific to your model, including maintenance intervals, self-test behavior and pad placement, the manufacturer's instructions for use are the controlling document and should be kept with the device. AED Professionals is an authorized distributor and a registered CPR, AED and First Aid training center, and we are glad to help you work through a fleet inventory. Call 888-541-2337.
