Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator (AED)
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Customer Reviews of Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator (AED)
Customer Review: Good Idea
Summary: 4 Stars
I know from personal experience if your gut is telling you to get one and you don't do it...I won't go into all the emotional part of my story ... But about 8 years ago, I thought about getting one of these but never did. Later in June of that year my father who was staying with me had heart failure. I knew CPR and started it right away, so when EMS got here about 12 minutes later they were able to use their defibrillator right away... without success. Had I had this defibrillator then, would it have saved my fathers life? I don't know for sure, but I sure wish I had had it then!!!!!!! So I'll just say IF you hear that inner voice telling you to get one...seriously consider it! If you do get one show everyone in the family how to use it, do a periodic refresher with your family, and keep it in a place where everyone knows where it is. Now I have one, to late for my dad, but there are others I need to look out for as well. I also would like to suggest that you contact your local hospital and take CPR and Heimlich courses and whatever else they offer! It's also a good idea to have a large emergency first aid kit, one that you may need to make up yourself...ask your doctor or nurse what to include...I have a couple large bottles of hydrogen peroxide, Iodine, eye wash, items for burns, etc. plus the normal items... rolls of bandage, tape, scissors, etc.. Try to cover all the common emergencies you can think of... just be sure to put it in a place a person can get to it quickly! If someone is bleeding heavily or has an eye injury, it's no time to have to try to locate the emergency kit!!! We keep ours in a 1st floor bathroom and we never put anything on top of it, so it can be found with our eyes closed, we also keep one in each vehicle. Back to this defibrillator, I have a nurse friend who told me it looked just like the one they have at the hospital. Also my family, who have no medical training, found the training DVD simple to understand. And this defibrillator will give you voice commands for the step by step procedure when activated. I have never had to use this on anyone, so I can not give you any report on my experience with this product in it's actual use. If you get one I hope you never have to use it, If you don't get one I sincerely hope you will never deeply regret that choice.
A short video of this product in use http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7331981255773156184&q=Phillips+HeartStart+defibrillator&ei=sA6MSM_DLqOm4QLZyuGOCA&hl=en
Customer Review: THIS WILL SAVE LIVES
Summary: 5 Stars
I have not used this product but have used AED's from other companies as well as using the hands-on type of defibrillator used in EDs and in ambulances. These devices save lives, no questions asked. I agree with the posters who suggest training is needed. It should be a pre-requisite that one must received at least basic cardiac care/first aid and CPR prior to being able to purchase this device. Basic CPR now includes a chapter on how to use an AED and that training should suffice. After receiving this low level of training and furnishing the card to Phillips, the person should be able to purchase this device. An AED is safe, effective and fills the gap from the onset of cardiac arrest to the arrival of first responders.
My dad died this week in a large city in British Columbia. He was taken to a Walk-In-Clinic as he was 30 minutes away from a hospital, 4-5 minutes away from the clinic. The benchmark standard ambulance response time that most EMS systems try to achieve is 8 minutes. Even with an 8 minute response time, the crew will require at least 30 to 90 seconds to get the equipment set-up and ready to use. Thus, the patient has waited around 8.5 to 9.5 minutes, at a mininum, with CPR only (if the patient is lucky). The likely of a successful defibrillation after 10 minutes of CPR and oxygen ventilation is around 0-25%, since for every minute wasted waiting for defibrillation, the likelyhood of success decreases by 7-10%.
By taking my father the 4-5 minutes to the clinic, before he arrested, and being under the treatment of a medical doctor, was the right choice. But, the clinic lacked this basic but fundemental life saving device. The clinic did not posess an AED. After five 911 calls and 19 minutes of CPR, the first ambulance showed up, and it happened to be an advanced life support crew with all the tools to save lives. After 19 minutes though, the likelyhood of a successful defibrillation is very minimal if not impossible. My father died.
This device would have saved my dad's life. Maybe it will save yours.
Darren
Customer Review: Power to Save A Life
Summary: 5 Stars
This HeartStart OnSite Defibrillator by PHILIPS is the safest, most effective AED on the market today. That is why the FDA has given PHILIPS the clearance to sell this AED for home use without a medical script. This device is basically dummy proof. It will walk a rescuer thru every step of the rescue process including step by step instructions on how to perform CPR if necessary. Less than 5% of people who suffer Sudden Cardiac Arrest outside of a hospital survive. Why? Because they are not defibrillated soon enough. For every minute that passes in SCA without defibrillation your chances of survival decrease by 7 to 10%. Research statistics state you can increase the chance of surviving SCA by up to 80% if you are defibrillated within the first few minutes (the most crucial time) Modern science and technology has made this device safe and easy to use. The American Heart Association offers a course called the "HeartSaver AED" the class is 3hrs, and teaches you adult CPR and how to operate an AED. The skills you learn in the HeartSaver class are incredible, and I highly recommend this class whether you purchase the OnSite AED or not. Defibrillation is the most crucial link in the Chain of Survival. But if you are in the market for an AED, this PHILIPS OnSite is the best. Having this life saving device at our fingertips is recommended by all fire and rescue thru out the world, also OSHA, federal and local government, AHA, RedCross and more!! If you are a business, or condo bulding, homeowners assc, boat owner, restaraunt, healthclub, school, you should also look into purchasing an AED and having your staff trained in the AHA HearSaver class! Sudden Cardiac Arrest has no age restrictions...young or old, ...the only and definitive treatment for Sudden Cardiac Arrest is to deliver a shock to the heart! Do your homework and you will find out why the PHILIPS AEDs are used by the
White House Medical Unit, AAF, FBI,FAA, CIA, and the FDA and
more! Safe, reliable, and the most user friendly AED on the market!!
Customer Review: Impressive web support
Summary: 5 Stars
Since my husband's family has a history of heart disease, I thought I would look into getting one of these. In researching the topic at the Consumer Reports website, I found that they reported that the resuscitation rate nationally is 2 to 5%. With a Home Defibrillator, the rate jumps to 40 to 50%.
In researching further, I found that the Phillips is the only Home Defibrillator available to buy without a prescription. The website for this product, www.heartstarthome.com, has a wealth of information. They offer assistance in finding out if insurance or Medicare will cover some of the cost of this product.
The American Heart Association states that 340,000 people in the U.S. die from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) each year. St. Jude Medical Center website (sjm.com) lists the risk factors for SCA, although SCA can occur without any risk factors:
Heart attack
Heart failure
Heart surgery
Coronary artery disease
Diabetes
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Cigarette smoking
Drug or alcohol abuse
Excess weight
High fat diet
Sedentary lifestyle
Stress
Certain medications (over-the-counter and prescriptions, including decongestants, diet and herbal supplements)
Family history of arrhythmia or sudden cardiac arrest
Congenital heart disorders (heart problems present at birth, usually involving the heart's chambers or valves)
Advancing age
I was very impressed with the amount of on-line support at www.heartstarthome.com, including a video and a demo. The demo shows exactly how the product works. It removed all doubt about whether I would be able to use this product. (Obviously, taking the American Heart Association class is highly advisable!) Thanks, Philips.
Customer Review: Great Idea
Summary: 4 Stars
I read several of the reviews for this product, and agree with the vast majority of them, on the other hand some of the other reviews were just ridiculous! I am a paramedic and a firefighter for a medium sized city and we use AEDs on our engine companies. I have probably used an AED in excess of 100 times. While our AEDs have a momitor built in and we can override the AEDs desision, most AEDs do not have this ability and only shock a "shockable" rhythm.
Because they are only programed to shock certain rhythms, I would say that it would be pretty much imposable to kill someone with an AED. If someone is in arrest, they are pretty much already dead anyway. If the pads were hooked up incorectly, it would be unable to recognize the rhythm and therfore would not initiate a shock. As for burning a the person because the pads dried out, if I had the choice dying from cardiac arrest or being burned, I would choose being burned any day.
As for the individual who seemed to feel that Philips was trying to replace EMS personnel, I've yet to see anyone go from v-fib to walking and talking! In fact, I am guessing that the included video instructs the user to first call 911, as I know the written directions do. I am sure that even the most unsophisticated person could use this product with the training provided with a video or just by looking over the written directions. The AEDs pads show where they should be placed, making it even more difficult to make a mistake. AEDs have been used by non-healthcare profesionals for years in airports, malls, comercial jets, hotels and numerous other public areas for years with positive results. This is just the next logical step.
While an AED will not save 89% of the people it is placed on, the fact is that early defibrillation is a major factor in saving viable patients.