Most guides answer “how often do AED pads need replacing” with “every 2 years” and stop there. That answer is correct for Philips, Cardiac Science, Defibtech, and most Stryker LifePak models. It is wrong for Zoll AED Plus CPR-D-padz (5 years), HeartSine Samaritan PAD (4 years as a combined Pad-Pak), and Zoll Stat-padz on the same Zoll AED Plus (2 years — a different pad type on the same device).
If you’re planning a replacement budget or a tracking schedule using the “every 2 years” rule, you’re overbuying replacements for some devices and potentially missing the real cycle for others.
Beyond the brand-specific interval, two things determine when your specific pads actually need replacing: the expiration date printed on the package, and whether the pads were ever applied to a patient. The date runs from manufacture, not from when you installed or purchased them. A pad set that sat in a distributor warehouse for 14 months before reaching your shelf has already burned 14 months of its rated life. And the moment pads are applied to a patient in any rescue attempt, regardless of whether a shock was delivered, they must be replaced immediately. Single-use means single-use.
AED pad replacement schedule by brand and model
All intervals below are from manufacture date unless otherwise noted. The expiration date printed on the package is always the authoritative figure for your specific lot.
| Brand / Model | Adult pad | Adult lifespan | Pediatric pad | Pediatric lifespan | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philips HeartStart OnSite (M5066A) | SMART Pads Cartridge M5071A | ~2 years | SMART Pads II pediatric | ~2 years, separate date | Adult and pediatric are separate SKUs with separate dates |
| Philips HeartStart FRx | SMART Pads II M5072A | ~2 years | SMART Pads II pediatric | ~2 years, separate date | Same pattern as OnSite |
| Philips HeartStart FR3 | HS1 Pads M3713A | ~2 years | Pediatric pads | ~2 years, separate date | Confirm date on specific lot |
| Zoll AED Plus (CPR-D-padz) 5-year pads | CPR-D-padz 8900-0800 (1-piece) | ~5 years | Pedi-padz II | ~2 years | 5-year adult pads match battery life on firmware v5.32+ |
| Zoll AED Plus (Stat-padz) | Stat-padz II 8900-0802 (2-piece) | ~2 years | Pedi-padz II | ~2 years | Different pad type, different cycle — check which type you have |
| Zoll AED 3 | AED 3 pads | Varies by configuration | Pediatric pads | Separate date | Check printed date on your specific lot |
| Cardiac Science Powerheart G3 | Adult pads | ~2 years | Pediatric pads | ~2 years, separate date | |
| Cardiac Science Powerheart G5 | Adult pads | ~2 years | Pediatric pads | ~2 years, separate date | |
| Defibtech Lifeline DCF-100 | Adult electrode pads | ~2 years | Pediatric pads | ~2 years, separate date | |
| Stryker LifePak CR2 | QUIK-STEP pads | ~2 years | QUIK-STEP pediatric | ~2 years, separate date | |
| Stryker LifePak CR Plus Bundled | Charge-Pak (battery + pads combined) | ~2 years | Pediatric pads separate | ~2 years | Charge-Pak bundles adult pads with battery — can’t replace separately |
| Stryker LifePak 1000 | Adult electrodes | ~2 years | Pediatric electrodes | ~2 years, separate date | |
| HeartSine Samaritan PAD (350P, 360P, 450P, 500P) Bundled | Pad-Pak (battery + adult pads combined) | ~4 years | Pediatric Pad-Pak | ~4 years | Single cartridge replaces both battery and pads together |
🟢 Green rows = longer-than-standard pad lifespan | 🟡 Amber rows = bundled battery + pads (not pad-only)
✓ Zoll AED Plus — CPR-D-padz vs Stat-padz
The Zoll AED Plus can use two different pad types with different lifespans. CPR-D-padz are the one-piece design with integrated CPR feedback and a 5-year shelf life. Stat-padz are the two-piece design with a 2-year shelf life. If you manage multiple Zoll AED Plus units, check which pad type each unit has before building your replacement schedule. Applying the 2-year rule to CPR-D-padz means replacing pads unnecessarily twice before they actually expire.
ℹ HeartSine Pad-Pak — one cartridge, one date
The HeartSine Samaritan PAD uses a single cartridge that bundles battery and adult pads together with one expiration date. There is no separate battery date and no separate pad date. When the Pad-Pak expires, you replace the whole unit. This is simpler to track and eliminates the risk of replacing the battery without replacing the pads or vice versa.
⚠ LifePak CR Plus Charge-Pak — shortest combined cycle
Similar to HeartSine’s approach, the Charge-Pak bundles adult pads and the battery into one 2-year cartridge. When it expires, the entire Charge-Pak is replaced. This has the shortest combined cycle of any model in the table — worth knowing for budget planning on programs using CR Plus units.
The pediatric pad problem most programs miss
⚠️ Almost every program tracks “pads” as one line item. That’s wrong.
Almost every major AED brand ships adult pads and pediatric pads as separate products with separate expiration dates. The two dates are printed on different packages, ordered as different SKUs, and expire on different cycles.
In practice, most programs either track only adult pad expiration and assume the pediatric pads are fine, or replace both sets simultaneously even though they were purchased and installed at different times and expire on different dates.
Adult and pediatric pads need to be tracked separately as two independent expiration dates per device.
This matters especially for programs using Zoll AED Plus units with CPR-D-padz. The adult CPR-D-padz last 5 years. The Pedi-padz II last 2 years. A program that replaces everything on a 5-year cycle is running on expired pediatric pads for the last 3 years of that cycle.
When does the replacement clock actually start?
The expiration date printed on the pad package is calculated from the manufacture date, not the date of purchase and not the date of installation. This matters significantly for programs that:
- Buy pads in bulk and store them for future use
- Purchase from distributors with slower inventory turnover
- Accept AED supply donations or inherited stock of unknown age
⚠️ Concrete example: A pad set manufactured in March 2024 with a 2-year rated lifespan expires in March 2026 — whether it was sitting on a distributor shelf until January 2026 or installed in your AED cabinet in April 2024. Buying a pad set in January 2026 that was manufactured in March 2024 gives you approximately 2 months of useful life, not 2 years.
When receiving any replacement pad order, the first action is checking the manufacture date and expiration date on the package before putting the pads in storage or on the device. For programs keeping spare pads on-site, the spare set needs its own expiration tracking. A spare set that expires unnoticed while sitting in a supply cabinet is not actually a spare.
After any rescue: replace pads immediately, expiration date is irrelevant
Electrode pads are strictly single-use. The moment pads are applied to a patient — regardless of whether a shock was delivered, whether the patient survived, or how much useful life remained on the expiration date — the pads must be replaced before the AED is returned to service.
⚠️ This is a different trigger from the time-based schedule. It applies even when pads are months away from their expiration date. The adhesive gel makes skin contact during a rescue and is compromised on first application — it cannot be trusted for a second patient contact.
After any use: remove the pads, install a fresh set from the spare supply kept on-site, run a manual self-test to confirm the device returns to ready status, log the swap with the date and the replacement set’s new expiration date, and document the rescue incident per your program’s incident reporting process.
If no spare pads are on-site, the AED is out of service until a replacement set arrives. Standard delivery runs 2 to 7 business days. For any facility where the AED is the only defibrillation option on-site, that window represents real risk. A spare set of pads for most brands costs $50 to $170 — substantially lower than the cost of operating without coverage for a week.
How often should you check the pad expiration date during inspections?
Monthly, as part of the standard monthly AED inspection checklist. The check takes about 10 seconds per device: open the cabinet, read the expiration date on the adult pad package, read the expiration date on the pediatric pad package, confirm both dates are at least 30 days out. Log both dates separately.
At fault indicator / after expiration
Device already out of service. Expedited shipping likely needed. You’re ordering under pressure.
At 30 days before expiration
Minimum threshold for ordering. Leaves just enough time for standard shipping — no buffer for fulfillment delays.
At 60 days before expiration
Time to shop distributors, batch orders, and have replacement on shelf before expiration. Ideal standard.
Factors that can cause pads to expire faster than expected:
- Temperature exposure. Pads stored in cabinets near heat sources, in direct sunlight, or in outdoor locations degrade faster than the rated lifespan. The 2-year or 5-year rating assumes manufacturer-recommended storage temperature, typically 0°C to 50°C.
- UV exposure. Outdoor AED cabinets with transparent panels can expose pad packaging to direct UV light, which fades the printed expiration date and accelerates gel dry-out through the package.
- Humidity. High-humidity environments (near pools, industrial kitchens, loading docks) can compromise the foil-lined packaging over time.
💡 AED Log tracks adult and pediatric pads as separate expiration dates per device, with 60 and 30-day alerts for each.
Replacement cost and budget planning
Because pad replacement frequency varies by brand, the annual cost per device varies significantly:
| Brand / Pad type | Replacement cycle | Approx. cost per replacement | Annual pad cost per device |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philips HeartStart adult | 2 years | $60–$90 | $30–$45/yr |
| Philips HeartStart pediatric | 2 years | $60–$80 | $30–$40/yr |
| Zoll AED Plus CPR-D-padz 5-year | 5 years | $130–$170 | $26–$34/yr |
| Zoll AED Plus Stat-padz | 2 years | $60–$80 | $30–$40/yr |
| Zoll Pedi-padz II | 2 years | $60–$80 | $30–$40/yr |
| HeartSine Pad-Pak adult + battery Bundled | 4 years | $195–$215 | $49–$54/yr |
| HeartSine Pediatric Pad-Pak Bundled | 4 years | $250–$280 | $63–$70/yr |
| Cardiac Science adult pads | 2 years | $50–$70 | $25–$35/yr |
| Defibtech adult pads | 2 years | $50–$70 | $25–$35/yr |
| Stryker LifePak CR2 adult pads | 2 years | $70–$100 | $35–$50/yr |
| Stryker LifePak CR Plus Charge-Pak Bundled | 2 years | $295–$345 (battery + pads) | $148–$173/yr |
💰 The budget insight most programs miss: For most standard AEDs with 4-year batteries and 2-year pads, you replace pads twice for every battery replacement. Over a 10-year device lifespan, pad replacement costs can equal or exceed battery replacement costs depending on the model. Programs that budget for batteries and overlook pad replacement are regularly surprised by the cumulative total.
When tracking pad expiration across multiple AEDs stops being manageable
A single AED on one schedule is simple. A program with 10 AEDs, each with an adult pad date and a pediatric pad date on staggered cycles because they were purchased and installed at different times, is managing 20 separate expiration dates. A 30-device program is managing 60.
On a spreadsheet, this works until someone replaces pads on device 14 and doesn’t update the row, or the file gets locked on a former administrator’s computer, or a pediatric pad set expires silently because the adult pad date was what got tracked.
Pad Tracking in AED Log tracks adult and pediatric pads as separate expiration dates per device, with 60 and 30-day alerts firing automatically for each one. The replacement order goes in when the alert fires, not when the monthly inspection reveals an expired set. Every tracked replacement is logged with the new expiration date, so the audit record exists without manual entry after the fact. Pricing is based on the number of AEDs in your program, starting free on 1 AED.
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✓ Adult + pediatric tracked separately
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