Zoll AED Plus Home Defibrillator

Dr. Paul M. Zoll, a Harvard cardiologist and pioneer in developing the heart monitors, pacemakers and defibrillators used by millions of people around the world.  He was a visionary that began experiments in the 1950s on electrical defibrillation, the first hospital experiments in the US.  Today the company he founded still produces some of the most advanced automatic external defibrillators on the market.The Zoll AED Plus Tm is unique in that the unit has both real time CPR coaching and gives the user instant feedback. It has an advanced single-piece electrode pad with 5-year shelf-life, uses consumer batteries, extremely water resistant. The reason it is called a Plus is that it is more than just an Automatic External Defibrillator, it’s also a CPR coach, too! It guides you through the entire resuscitation process with real time feedback telling you if you need to press harder or faster just to make sure you do everything right. During an emergency it might be difficult to remember all the proper steps of CPR, but with the Zoll Plus Home Defibrillator (with its voice prompts, pictures with LED indicators and text displays to help) you don’t need to remember. The Zoll home defibrillator will remind you!

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The Zoll AED Plus with CPR Feedback

The Zoll AED Plus Tm home defibrillator is the only defibrillator that gives you feedback during CPR. The voice prompt instructs you to press harder if chest compressions aren’t administered correctly or reassures you when you’re doing it right!  ZOLL’s single-piece electrode pad is unique and fool-proof. It goes on easy and has pictures to show you where your hands should be placed for proper chest compressions on your patient. This is a very important tool for a home defibrillator where someone unfamiliar or unsure about CPR. The ZOLL AED Plus Tm is the only home defibrillator that uses inexpensive Duracell consumer batteries no expensive proprietary battery packs are required for this machine. It has the lowest cost of ownership of any portable defibrillator we reviewed.

You can purchase your Zoll AED Plus Tm here

Zoll AED Plus Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.5 x 5.2 inches ; 6.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 12 pounds

Home Defibrillators

Welcome to our Home Defibrillator review site. We bring you the latest information and reviews on the best Home Defibrillation products available on the market today. Home defibrillators are becomming more common in public places and in the home. Their ease of use and modern electronics puts life saving equipment into anyone’s hands that can do simple CPR. Here we provide reviews of the top models available today and do a comparison so you can see for yourself what are the differences between the many available units.

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All the modern home defibrillator units have several things in common:

• Automatic External Defibrillators are medical equipment that must be FDA approved and must meet the same rigid specifications for effectiveness.
• Voice and visual instructions for the user
• Perform electronic self-tests of their own circuitry and batteries regularly. The home defibrillator itself will let you know if it’s ready-to-use with a visual and/or audible indicator.
• At least a 5 year warranty

To help you in choosing the best home defibrillator for your needs, we concentrate on the differences between brands and the long term cost of ownership.

To view the different home defibrillator models click on the names on the right side of the page for a review and a video showing how to use that particular model.

HeartSine Samaritan AED (automatic external defibrillator)

Review By: Bob T.

Rating:

The HeartSine® samaritan® PAD Public Access Defibrilator (or Automatic External Defibrillator) is an easy-to-use medical device especially designed for public access use, to administer lifesaving treatment for Sudden Cardiac Arrest. No complex displays or controls are on this portable defibrillator. It displays a flashing green STATUS light indicates system is operational and ready. The HeartSine samaritan PAD portable defibrillator prompts you visually and audibly with clear, calm instructions – starting with “Adult Patient” if equipped for adult Pad-Pak™, and “Child Patient” if equipped with pediatric-pak™. Other prompts on this automatic external defibrillator instructs users throughout the rescue process, while reminding users to “call for medical assistance.” The system then guides the user through pad application to shock delivery if required.

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Electrode pads are contained in an innovative Pad-Pak™ or Pediatric-Pak™  pre packaged units making it easy to know which units to use with the home defibrillator. Pads are accessible with the defibrillator in the storage case (supplied with each unit).

Product Description

Samaritan PAD AED. Includes:

• Custom Carry Case
• 2 PAD PAKs (Electrode/Battery)
• Instruction Manual
• Quick Reference Card
• AED/CPR Responder Pack
• AED Check Tag & Window Decal
• 7 Year Warranty

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 20 x 14 x 6 inches ; 6.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 pounds

You can order the HeartSine® Samaritan® PAD Automatic External Defibrillator here.

Cardiac Science Powerheart AED G3 Plus with CPR Prompts

Cardiac Science Powerheart g3 AED

The Powerheart AED G3 Plus (with CPR prompts) is an automatic external defibrillator complete with Cardiac Science’s patented RHYTHMx® analysis software, STAR® biphasic waveform, and Rescue Coach™ intuitive voice prompts. The clear voice and visual prompts on this home defibrillator guides the user through the rescue scenario.  Upon pressing the shock button (the unit will tell you when to press the button) the AED delivers a biphasic waveform which compensates for chest impedence. This energy is between 105 – 360 J with escalating energy for the third and subsequent shocks. One of the only home defibrillators that has the ability to increase the shock power if required.

The Powerheart G3 Plus portable defibrillator has patented software and biphasic waveform analyses for shockable rhythms of (VF) Ventricular Fibrillation (VT) Ventricular Tachycardia and (SVT) Supraventricular Tachycardia

The Powerheart has the ability to detect a pacemaker pulse and is capable of delivering up to 290 shocks from its non-rechargeable lithium sulphur dioxide battery (with 4 year standby life). The Pads are pre connected (adult or paediatric) and are checked by the AED software for presence and functionality. Patented technology performs automated daily, weekly, and monthly self-tests on the battery, electrode presence, and internal electronics and when successful this automatic external defibrilator displays a green rescue ready light indicating it is ready for use.

Up to 60 minutes of data is stored internally. When the memory is full new data replaces the oldest data. This information can be downloaded from the portable defibrillator to a PC via a serial or USB port using Rescuelink Cardiac Sciences event review software. This is useful for the doctor when evaluating the conditions during the heart attack.

Patented technology performs automated daily, weekly, and monthly self-tests on the battery, electrode presence, and internal electronics and when successful the AED displays a green rescue ready light indicating it is ready for use.

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You can buy the Cardiac Sciences G3 Semi auto plus AED home defibrillator  here

For all of its advance features, Powerheart G3 Semi Auto Plus remains one of the easiest home defibrillators to use.

In a University of Pennsylvania simulated rescue study, the AED G3 Plus automatic external defibrillator helped untrained adults deliver CPR of a quality similar to that of trained professionals.¹ The text screen prompts is also helpful to rescuers  in noisy and chaotic environments.

¹ Peer reviewed study by Benjamin S Abella et. al. “Untrained Volunteers Perform High Quality CPR When using an Automatic External Defibrillator with a CPR Voice Prompting Algorithm,” Circulation. 2007; 116:II_437.

Product Description

Powerheart AED Semi Auto G3 Plus Version. Includes:

• 9300 Series Carry Case
• 2 Adult Electrode Pads
• IntelliSense Battery
• Operator Guide/Software
• Quick Start Tool Kit w/Cable
• AED/CPR Responder Pack
• AED Check Tag & Window Decal
• 7 Year Warranty

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 20 x 14 x 12 inches ; 13.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 13.2 pounds

The Phillips HeartStart Home Defibrillator with carrying case

Philips Heartstart Home Defibrillator

Backed by one of the largest electronics companies in the world, Phillips HeartStart was also the first home defibrillators allowed by the US FDA to be bought without a prescription.

Like other essential safety equipment, you buy HeartStart hoping that you never have to use it. Yet in that moment you need it, HeartStart must be ready. It performs comprehensive daily self-tests. You can check its status at a glance. Virtually no maintenance is required.

It is probably one of the most common and easily available choices for a home defibrillator and one that has a lot of positive reviews. One thing that all users liked was the clear and precise audio instructions that guided them step by step in using the unit.  HeartStart senses and adapts the instructions it gives to you based on your actions. Using sophisticated technology, the HeartStart defibrilator quickly analyzes a patient’s heart rhythm and determines if it is in need of a shock. Designed for the utmost safety, it will only defibrillate heart rhythms that are abnormal. It even give you voice coaching through the steps of CPR. It is like having an electronic instructor with you while you are using the unit.

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Here is a video of how simple it is for the average person with no experience to use the HeartStart home defibrillator.

You can buy the Phillips HeartStart Home Defibrillator here

HeartStart Home Defibrillator Contents:

* Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator
* Red hard shell carry case
* Adult SMART Pads cartridge* (lasts 2 years)
* Battery (lasts 4 years)
* Training video
* 5-year warranty

*Note: The Infant/Child defibrillator pads cartridge is sold separately.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7 x 9 inches ; 5.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds. ( Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.)

Pediatric, Infant, Child Pads for OnSite & Home AED

Pediatric, Infant, Child Pads for Phillips HeartStart Defibrillators

Product Features

One thing to consider when buying any AED is to buy some training materials, they are cheap and not everyone has time to attend classes a timely and cheap investment for any home defibrillator. Phillips has the HeartStart Adult training pads kit.

Philips HeartStart Home Automated External Defibrillator Adult Training Pads Kit

If you are installing this in a gym, school or other public place you might want to have this convenient wall mount kit with a built in alarm. It is a convenient way to keep your automatic external defibrillator handy for emergencies.

Phillips HeartStart Wall Mount with Alarm

(Please note that all of the products reviewed here are available through us on Amazon.com at discounted prices. We earn a commission from Amazon on any Home Defibrillator sales made via this site.)

This sad story is all to common in the western world. A story that in many cases have been avoided by the prompt use of a home defibrillator.

Read this heart wrenching story of a young groom who lost the most important thing in his life – his new bride.

A Heart Too Good to Die – a Shocking Story of Sudden Cardiac Arrest

By: Jeremy Whitehead

When sudden cardiac death strikes, you cannot stop it. It takes away nine out of ten victims, and takes them in just minutes. They do not come back. They are gone. But it doesn’t have to be that way. They can survive.

Chances are that you know someone who has “dropped dead”, and it is very likely they were a victim of sudden cardiac arrest (aka sudden cardiac death). It kills more people than lung cancer, breast cancer and AIDS, combined. Nearly half a million victims suddenly die each year, one every minute or so. This silent killer is not often gruesome, but it is terrifying in its unpredictability.

There is no cure, and the only treatment is prevention. Vice Presidents, Olympic athletes and teenagers are all members of this exclusive club. And, unlike heart disease, diet and lifestyle are not the culprits.

Most die before reaching the hospital, and it happens to outwardly healthy people with no known heart problems such as high school kids, college sports stars and professional athletes, as well as thousands of children.

Sometimes there is a warning sign, but often there is not. You would be surprised if your favorite nightly news station reported the cases-over ten times more deaths than car fatalities-nearly one thousand per day in the United States alone. When this “serial killer” strikes, it is usually not gruesome, and yet it is sudden and shocking, so why don’t we hear about these tragedies?

Even if we did hear about them more, what could you do? How do you deal with a sudden cardiac arrest? Cardiopulmonary resuscitation will not bring them back, although it may keep them going long enough for the one thing that will save them.

They need a defibrillator.

To shock them back to life.

Dick Cheney has one; his cardiologist thinks he is in danger without one. Reggie Lewis and Hank Gathers didn’t know they needed one. An external one could have saved Sergei Grinkov on the ice rink. Those that survive are changed forever. Most likely an expensive device, similar to a pacemaker, will be implanted in their chest. The spouses, family and friends will all be impacted. Who helps them? Where do they get the information and support to deal with the changes? The facts are easy to come by, often too plentiful, and yet so uninformative. There are few books that tell the story, or offer to educate and explain without a clinical approach.

We want to understand what is happening, what will happen next, and how to prepare for the future.

For the survivors and family, emotions run high. Grief is not far away and yet we need to be prepared for the implant procedure to be performed “in a few days time”, and the subsequent invasive tests. Too often, the advice is preoccupied with prevention, rather than the rehabilitation and recuperation we all need-for the mind as much as the body. Even though the emotions are often buried, they resurface and the questions start all over again. Why did this happen? What does it mean? Will they recover? How do we deal with it?

I had very little information, with even less experience, and even today, it still feels unreal. So I wrote about it.

It is called A Heart Too Good to Die - A shocking story of Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Technically a memoir, but also a love story, this suspenseful, true account of modern day reanimation shares the shock and grief of life’s fragility. An enticing and easily read story of a serious medical emergency, this story covers the emotions and issues of sudden cardiac arrest as well as providing relevant factual/clinical details. As narrative nonfiction it describes, in layman’s terms, the medicine of survival and the miracles required, in ten chapters plus back matter. Foreword by David. A. Rubin, M.D., Clinical Professor of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Purchase online here

You have permission to use this article on your website or ezine as long as the following information about author/website is included.

A Heart Too Good to Die – A shocking story of Sudden Cardiac Arrest

http://www.heart2good.com

Jeremy Whitehead – Author & Freelance Writer

About the Author

Jeremy Whitehead is a freelance writer, skilled in writing about complex subjects and making them simple to understand. His wife suffered a sudden cardiac arrest six weeks after their wedding. He wrote the story of their ordeal, especially for those also touched by this number one killer.
http://www.heart2good.com

(ArticlesBase SC #365381)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – A Heart Too Good to Die – a Shocking Story of Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Home Defibrillator Facts

You are probably here because: 1. You have had a heart attack and you know that the chances of another one is high. 2. You are in a group medically where you could be subject to a sudden attack. 3. You have a loved on in one of those two categories. 4. You are responsible for a public place, office or school and are interested in the portable defibrillator for public use. You probably thought that the primary user of an home defibrillator would be the "old folks", well consider these facts: Approximately 22% of sudden deaths for people between 1 and 21 years of age are due to cardiac arrest. Noteworthy, in 2008, the American Red Cross issued an advisory change recommending automated external defibrillation for victims as young as newborn. Regarding women, in the American Heart Association's 2008 public policy statement on the topic, the health agency wrote: The coronary heart disease death rate for younger women ages 35 to 44 increased annually between 1997 and 2002. Cardiovascular disease now kills more women than the next five causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer. However, the perception persists that heart disease is just a "man's disease"… Most victims of sudden cardiac arrest had no warning signs. The majority of sudden cardiac arrest victims were asymptomatic, meaning these victims were not at heightened risk for a heart attack. In fact, more women are struck without warning than men. The answer for me and for many of you is in the home defibrillator (or Automatic Electronic Defibrillator). Advances in electronics have brought the defibrillators from the hospitals into the home. And many of the newest models not only do external defibrillation, they also guide the person in doing cpr, placement of the pads and automatically give the right shock amount to defibrillate your heart. All of this in a small handy portable defibrillator package you can even take with you in the car or on trips.

Why a Home Defibrillator is not a luxury

I am a heart attack survivor. My heart attack was while I was at home and when I recognized the symptoms I called the hospital and told them I was having a heart attack. I then went downstairs and waited on the ambulance to arrive. Just as they pulled up I stood up to walk to the ambulance, a really stupid move, because I promptly passed out, and entered cardiac arrest, falling straight forward onto my face. This broke my nose (and my glasses) and contributed to real problems later on. Fortunately the ambulance crew was there and prepared. They started CPR and had to use the defibrillator on me on the way to the emergency room. In the emergency room 3 doctors and 12 staff took turns doing CPR and I was defibrillated another 14 times.

Since that day I have reflected several times about what if the ambulance didn’t arrive in time, or if I entered cardiac arrest earlier. What could people in my house done to save me? As an ambulance crew member told my friend, if they were just 2 minutes later, I probably would never have recovered.

The Cardiac Chain of Survival

• Early recognition of the emergency and early access to EMS
• Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• Early defibrillation
• Early advanced medical care

Each minute defibrillation is delayed reduces the victim’s chance of survival by about 10 percent.

Remember: Cardiac arrests can also occur in children!

The first defibrillator approved for home use without a doctor’s prescription was the PHILLIPS HeartStart unit. Today there are several brands of home defibrillators with advanced features to choose from.

On this site we be reviewing various AEDs (home defibrillators) and telling you the features of each. We will also have some advice for you on why and how you should use a home defibrillator.

(To skip right to the AED comparison page click here)

The home defibrillator, more commonly referred to as the automatic external defibrillator (AED), is a lightweight, portable computerized medical device that can check a person's heart rhythm and determine if that persons requires a defibrillator shock. It can also advise the rescuer when a shock is needed. The modern Home Defibrillator commonly uses a combination of voice prompts and text messages (and in some cases graphical) instructions to guide the user in what steps to take.

Defibrillator History

Defibrillation was first proven on dogs in 1899 and the first human use was in 1947 by Claude Beck.

These early defibrillators used the alternating current to the exposed heart by way of 'paddle' type electrodes. Until the early 1950s, defibrillation of the heart was possible only when the chest cavity was open during surgery.

In 1956 Dr. Paul Zoll is the first physician to successfully use external defibrillation to regulate heart rhythms in patients. This discovery begins the development of the modern automatic external defibrilator.

In 1959 Bernard Lown discovered an alternative technique using direct current (like batteries), instead of alternating current from the mains, which involved charging of a bank of capacitors and the resultant charge delivered to the heart by way of 'paddle' electrodes.

But a major breakthrough was the introduction of portable defibrillators used out of the hospital. This was pioneered in the early 1960s by Prof. Frank Pantridge in Belfast. He is also known as the "Father of modern emergency medicine" for his pioneering work particularly with CPR and defibrillation protocols. It wasn't until much later that defibrillators began to be standard equipment with first responders.

Belfast physicians first performed successful prehospital defibrillation in 1966. Defibrillation by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) without the presence of physicians was first performed in Portland, Oregon, in 1969 and was reported in 1972.

Portable defibrillators

While conventional, manual external defibrillators have been used in clinical settings and some emergency medical services (EMS) for nearly 50 years, the automated external defibrillator (AED) did not make its debut until 1979.

In the early 1970s, Dr Arch Diack, Dr W. Stanley Welborn, and Robert Rullman developed several prototype AEDs that were tested and then they formed the Cardiac Resuscitator Corporation to market their device.

In 1980 prehospital trials of portable defibrillators began in Brighton, England at that time the device weighed 28 pounds and it was also capable of pacing the heart.

In 1982, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved EMT-defibrillation (EMT-D) clinical trials for outside hospital use of automatic external defibrillators by non-physicians.

In the early 1990s, successful training and use of AEDs by first responders was reported in the US and the UK.

In July 1997, American Airlines became the first U.S. airline to carry automatic external defibrillators and the third internationally, after Britain's Virgin Atlantic and Australia's Qantas airlines.

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Using a Home Defibrillator

The following video is produced by the American Heart Association to introduce you how to properly use CPR together with a Home Defibrillator.  It is recommended you get a training course that combines CPR with the AED instruction. These are available from the Red Cross,  the American Heart Association, PADI or even online. As you can see the best situation is to have 2 people to help with the CPR, but at home it may not be possible. Another reassuring thing is that the home defibrillator will give you calm step by step voice instructions in case you have forgotten what to do. An all home defibrillators have either text or graphics to indicate what steps to follow if you cannot hear the voice prompts. Lets review the steps: 1. Call 911, get emergency help on the way as soon as possible. 2. Hook up  the portable defibrillator and follow the voice prompts. It will guide you in what to do. Don't worry that  you will make a mistake, because AEDs perform the tests and they analyze whether or not a patient needs to be shocked. If you cannot hear the voice prompts for what actions to perform look at the visual indications on the home defibrilator. 3. If you have 2 people then one does CPR while the other goes for the home defibrillator. 4. Continue CPR, with defibrillation as needed, until emergency personnel arrive!

(To skip to the home defibrillator comparison pages click here)

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