Kyle Nowack
BLS Instructor Trainer & AED Program Specialist
Active AHA BLS Instructor and Red Cross BLS Instructor Trainer. Owner of Total AEDs and co-founder of AED Log. 15+ years in lifesaving and AED training. Read Kyle's full bio
Products ship in original manufacturer packaging with full OEM warranty.
M5071A is the adult pad cartridge for the Philips HeartStart OnSite and HeartStart Home AEDs. It does not fit the HeartStart FRx, which uses a completely different cartridge, SMART Pads II. If your AED is an FRx, see the Philips FRx SMART Pads II instead.
These pads are adult-only, for patients 8 years or older or 55 lbs or over. For younger or smaller patients, see the Philips OnSite Infant/Child Cartridge. Call Total AEDs at (855) 286-6384 if you are unsure which AED you own.
Genuine OEM replacement electrode cartridge for the Philips HeartStart OnSite and HeartStart Home AEDs. The SMART Pads cartridge snaps directly into place with a built-in pull handle, and the pads themselves sense when they've been removed from the cartridge and applied to a patient, communicating that status back to the AED. No separate cable connection is required. These are the same pads that keep both of Philips' over-the-counter, no-prescription-required AEDs rescue-ready. Every cartridge ships from Total AEDs with a guaranteed minimum 12 months of remaining shelf life.
The Philips HeartStart OnSite Adult SMART Pads (part number M5071A) are the manufacturer-authorized replacement electrode cartridge for both the Philips HeartStart OnSite and Philips HeartStart Home AEDs, confirmed directly on Philips' own product page. Both of these AEDs are sold over the counter, without a prescription, and this pad keeps either one rescue-ready.
The pads communicate with the connected AED and can sense when they've been removed from the cartridge casing and applied to a patient's chest. That sensing capability is part of what gives the pad its "SMART" designation, and it's why the cartridge itself, not just the AED, plays an active role in confirming the device is ready for a rescue.
Unlike electrode designs that require tearing open a sealed foil pouch and separately connecting a cable, the M5071A cartridge is pre-connected and installs with a simple slide-and-latch motion. During a rescue, the responder pulls the built-in handle to open the cartridge, exposing placement diagrams printed directly on the pads.
Every M5071A cartridge ships with at least 12 months of remaining shelf life from date of receipt. These pads carry a 2-year manufacturer shelf life from date of manufacture if unused, and Total AEDs rotates stock to give program managers the longest possible replacement cycle within that window. If you receive a cartridge with less than 12 months remaining, contact Total AEDs at (855) 286-6384 for immediate exchange at no charge.
This is the adult cartridge only, for patients 8 years or older or 55 lbs or over. For younger or smaller patients, see the Philips OnSite Infant/Child Cartridge. If your AED is a HeartStart FRx, this cartridge will not fit; see the Philips FRx SMART Pads II instead. Browse the full HeartStart OnSite pads selection and all Philips AEDs.
Each Philips M5071A cartridge from Total AEDs ships ready for direct installation:
This package does not include a HeartStart OnSite or Home AED, a battery (a separate part, M5070A), infant/child pads, a carrying case, or a wall cabinet. It will not fit a HeartStart FRx.
To assemble a complete HeartStart replenishment order, adult pads plus infant/child pads plus battery on one purchase order, call Total AEDs at (855) 286-6384.
Philips sells several distinct pad cartridges across its AED lineup, and picking the wrong one is the single most common ordering mistake for this product line.
Confirmed directly on Philips' own product page for M5071A.
Also confirmed directly; OnSite and Home share the same adult SMART Pads cartridge.
The FRx uses a completely different cartridge, SMART Pads II, sold separately.
M5071A is adult-only; the OnSite/Home platform uses a separate Infant/Child cartridge, M5072A.
Order M5071A (this product) when: your AED is a HeartStart OnSite or HeartStart Home, and your patients are 8 years or older or 55 lbs or over.
Order the Infant/Child Cartridge instead when: your AED is the same OnSite/Home platform, but the patient is a child under 8 years or under 55 lbs.
Order SMART Pads II instead when: your AED is a HeartStart FRx. M5071A will not fit that platform.
Not sure which Philips AED you own? Check the model name printed on the front of the unit, or call Total AEDs at (855) 286-6384 with your model or serial number for confirmation before ordering.
Philips designed the OnSite and Home cartridges to be replaced without tools and without any separate cable-connection step.
2 years from date of manufacture if the cartridge is never opened or used. The expiration date is printed directly on the front handle of the cartridge, visible without opening the AED case. Total AEDs guarantees at least 12 months of remaining shelf life on every cartridge at time of shipment.
A cartridge must also be replaced immediately after any rescue use, even if no shock was delivered, regardless of how much calendar shelf life remained.
No. M5071A is built exclusively for the HeartStart OnSite and HeartStart Home. The HeartStart FRx uses a completely different cartridge, SMART Pads II, sold as a separate part. If you own an FRx, order the Philips FRx SMART Pads II instead; M5071A will not fit that platform.
Slide the latch on the top of the OnSite or Home unit, remove the old cartridge, and insert the new M5071A cartridge by sliding the bottom in and pressing until you hear the latch click into place. No tools or separate cable connection are required; the cartridge is pre-connected. Full step-by-step guidance is covered in the Installation and Rescue Deployment section above.
Only as a last resort. M5071A is designed for patients 8 years or older or 55 lbs or over. For younger or smaller patients, the correct product is the Philips OnSite Infant/Child Cartridge. Current AHA guidance allows adult pads on a pediatric patient when pediatric pads are genuinely unavailable, since any defibrillation attempt is better than none, but this should not be relied on as a substitute for stocking correct pediatric coverage.
Printed on the front handle of the cartridge itself. This is a genuinely convenient design detail: you can check the expiration date without opening the AED case or removing the cartridge from the unit, unlike electrode designs on other platforms that require pulling the pad set out of a storage compartment to read the date. Include this check in your monthly AED inspection routine.
Because both compatible AEDs are sold over the counter without a prescription, these devices are common in workplaces, homes, and small businesses where the buyer may not have the same ongoing compliance infrastructure a larger public-access program would. That makes clear, simple maintenance guidance especially important for this specific pad.
If you bought a HeartStart OnSite or Home for personal or small-business use, mark your calendar for the 2-year pad replacement cycle the same way you would a smoke detector battery. The visible expiration date on the cartridge handle makes this an easy check to build into a routine.
OSHA does not mandate AED programs but recommends them within a comprehensive emergency action plan (29 CFR 1910.38). Even for an OTC device, document the pad expiration date and any replacement events as part of your program's maintenance records.
Any HeartStart OnSite or Home deployed where children could be present needs the Infant/Child Cartridge staged alongside this adult cartridge.
Organizations running a mix of OnSite, Home, and FRx units need to track pad part numbers by exact model, since M5071A and SMART Pads II are not interchangeable. Call Total AEDs at (855) 286-6384 to consolidate a multi-platform Philips replenishment order onto a single schedule.
If your pads are approaching their 2-year expiration, check your battery status at the same time using the AED's blue "i" information button. Replacing both on the same maintenance visit avoids a second trip when the battery reaches end of life shortly after.
A unit needing its third or fourth pad replacement cycle is often still a sound investment. Our guide to when to replace an aging AED covers the warning signs that a legacy unit has reached end of life, separate from routine consumable replacement. Our AED total cost of ownership breakdown also models pads, batteries, and maintenance across a device's full service life.
