Just saw this as available to the public....CVS had a flyer with one advertised in it. Just checked it out online. They advertise as OTC (for $1495 dollars) an AED. I have visions of those people who insist on carrying surgical kits now having one of these. For those who have a need (be it actual medical or remote enough location to justify etc) it will be good.

AED's are popping up all over the place. Schools, airports, stadiums, etc. The A in AED stands for automated. They are pretty much idiot prrof. Now the manual defib I carry on the ambulance is totally different. If you shock an aysystole (flatline) as they do in TV, You will never get a perfusable rythm. You just killed the pat. I think when the AED price comes down some, more will be out in use for the general public.

Oh I agree.....(medic in NYC and now FL). All I'm saying is it will be another 'toy' for those who really have no idea. For those who have the need or the knowledge....(as Martha says...) its a good thing.

The Red Cross has an AED course for those that are interested. I took my First Aid, Infant/Child CPR, Adult CPR and AED all in one Saturday.

The AED technology is so advanced, and so effective, that if you have any possibility of a person having a heart attack in your home, it's not a bad idea to get one.

They have an astonishing rate of survival - far better than if you wait for an ambulace - and they are basically foolproof. The can't deliver a shock to a person who is not in fibrilation, and they have a spoken interface that's quite good. We now carry one onboard our fire engine and I'd suggest that if you can swing it, it's a good thing to have around, especially if you have someone with a known heart condition in the house.

They actually talk the user through the steps. Just make sure when it's time to "clear" that you do, or there will be another patient down.

Since AED's are really only useful for fibrillation (where the heart gets out of synch and can't pump sufficient blood) and not for cardiac arrest (when the heart is stopped), can anyone comment on what proportion of "heart attack" calls to 911 can actually be helped by an AED?

I defer to Medics who are in the field, but what I remember from training, AEDs can ONLY be used for cardiac arrest. Is my memory correct here?

I'm a medic and will very much simplify the process for those that do not know the anatomy and physiology.

The AED is used for someone in "cardiac arrest". That said...there are several heart rythms that are considered cardiac arrest. The only rythms that the AED 'treats' is Ventricular Fibrillation and Ventricular Tachycardiac (Vfib and V tach....AKA VF or VT). You can not tell what kind of rythm a person is in until they are "put on the monitor". The AED is the monitor in this case. The AED is designed to 'recognize' VF or VT. It will indicate "shock advised" and usually charge on its own with either of these rythms. When it is ready to shock, it will tell you and advise "press to shock". The AED is actually a SEMI automatic external defib (SAED) as you need to push a few buttons to operate it. (They tried a fully auto matic type but they had problems that made it better to just go SAED). This is the time to CLEAR the patient (no touching).

Now what is happening is this. When a heart stops, the first rythm that it is in (usually) is VT which usually degrades to VF. The organized heartbeat stops and this chaotic electrical activity is happening (VF). Think of it as the old 1950's B movie when the heroine has the hysterical episode. She is normally fine...something happens and she starts screaming. Now comes the AED (Shock). In the movie someone would usually slap her and she'd be fine again and regain her composure. The AED delivers a charge of electricity to "slap the heart". What it is actually doing is STOPPING the heart. You are hoping the heart will restart in its normal rythm. The heart still has the possibility of going back into VF. That is why defibrillation is only a STEP in care. Transfer of care to advanced life support will help prevent it from going back into VF. Advanced care also has things to help get the rythm going again...but that is a different thread.

Hope that helps. If you'd like more info let me know.

Has anyone heard of people being saved with AED's? I've always been interested in the technology and try to watch out for news stories about them, but I recall only ever seeing one save. That was on an airline a number of years ago. At the time, I think that it was the first use of an AED to resuscitate someone in flight.