Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator (AED)
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List Price: Our Price: $1,190.00 You Save: $805.00 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy 3rd Party: from $1,125.00 (click here) Category: Health Care See more product details |
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Customer Reviews of Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator (AED)
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: AED's save lives... Period.
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm concerned that some reviews here seem to indicate that AEDs require a license or other specialized training to use. Most states require that users take an approved CPR class that includes AED training. Most CPR classes today offer this additional training. If you are concerned, call your local ambulance or fire department. They should have good information about the requirements (if any) in your area.
AEDs save lives. They are very, very easy to use. They should be in every home and office in the United States. They are made to be virtually "idiot-proof." It is EXTREMELY unlikely that you could shock someone that didn't need to be shocked. They walk you through just what to do in a cardiac arrest emergency.
I have been a career paramedic for nearly a decade. I have managed dozens of cardiac arrests. Of the very few "saves" we have had, almost all of them involved the use of an AED before we arrived. CPR is important, but it's been overrated by TV. The #1 goal when the heart stops -- whether you're in the operating room, emergency room, in an ambulance, or lying on your living room floor -- is to defibrillate that heart in an attempt to get it to beat normally again.
An accepted statistic is that the chances of survival decrease by about 10% for every minute the patient is without a pulse. In most places, you're lucky if you can get an ambulance crew into your home in under 8-10 minutes. Factor in the time it takes you to realize what's going on and to call 911. You do the math. Even with CPR, without an AED it's just about hopeless.
This is a good product. Anyone who can afford it should purchase it for better peace of mind. You should also take a CPR class and familiarize yourself with the unit.
Customer Review: I'm not sure if everyone needs one for their home ...
Summary: 5 Stars
I am an individual at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest. I don't own a personal defibrillator but I have the implant in my chest. My implanted defibrillator and pacemaker is tuned up every 3 months by my cardiologist. The implant needs a new battery every 3-4 years so I have to undergo chest surgery at that time. The implant hurt like the devil after they installed it, but after 6 weeks it stopped hurting so much. My point is, if you are at high risk, why don't you get the implant? Do you need a scary electric device laying around that you may not be sure if you're using it right if you ever do use it? Have you had your first heart attack yet? Have you discussed this purchase with your cardiologist? If the answers to these last four questions is no, then maybe you should see a cardiologist first before you make the purchase. If you have not had a heart problem so far, and you're worried about it, see your doctor, maybe change your diet, stop smoking, etc. I think if you're shopping for this machine, maybe the implant is a better choice. The implant does it all for you and brings you back alive, without any intervention, unlike the product which needs someone nearby who knows how to use it properly.
Update 12/29/08: I recently visited my cardiologist and had my machine readout printed up, and was informed that on August 9, 2008, at about 5:00 a.m., my implanted defibrillator jolted my heart until it began to beat again and that the implant had saved my life. I did not wake up. My cardiologist informed me that without the implant, I would have passed away in my sleep without waking up.
I did not wake up. Who would have been there to use an external defibrillator on me to save me? No one.
Customer Review: Best Investment you'll hopefully never have to use
Summary: 5 Stars
As an Emergency Nurse Practitioner and Paramedic, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of getting electricity to an adult who is suffering from cardiac arrest. Technology is moving quickly to get electricity to the cardiac arrest victim earlier and earlier -- and the survival rates AND quality of life rates after such an arrest are sky rocketing accordingly.
Is there too much direct-to-consumer marketing by medical-related companies? Probably. Is your personal risk for experiencing sudden cardiac arrest per calendar year low? Definitely. ...but do those smug reviewers refuse to buy vehicles with airbags in them just because their risk of being in an accident is low and the direct-to-consumer marketing is irritating to them? No! Those will be the same folks who want their cars with anti-lock breaks, airbags, the best side-impact reinforcements... and being a good driver (ie, "just improve your diet") won't cancel their risk for being in an accident.
I hope you never have to use this machine, but as an emergency healthcare worker -- both pre-hospital and in the emergency room -- I cannot say enough positive about AED's in the community setting!
Don't run out and purchase this out of paranoia, however if yuo are at risk for a sudden cardiac event consider if this would be appropriate for you, your family members, your apartment building, your church, etc. ...and rest assured that it is absolutely safe -- it is impossible to hurt a loved one with this, you can only help.
...and to those who gave negative reviews on this AED? Don't forget to pay your car insurance!...
Customer Review: It is not fair...
Summary: 5 Stars
It is irresponsible for people that do not know about this, to post in your site any opinion about something as important as sudden death. There are two people in your site (both of them signing as EMTs), saying that an AED is not so important to prevent sudden death.
I am a cardiologist and have been training people in Emergency Cardiac Care for years now and can say that they are absolutely wrong. I have no relation with any AED manufacturer and all of the FDA approved ones are good.
VF and VT are the cause of most sudden cardiac deaths. About 80% of people who dies suddenly have this arrythmia as the main cause. Just in the US, every year die more people of VF or VT than of car accidents, house fires, breast cancer and prostate cancer together.
This does not mean that to have a HeartStart AED in your home is as good as controling risk factors or going to a hospital if you have chest pain or shortness of breath. But, if someone in your home has a heart condition you can save them with an AED if you act in the first 8 minutes after cardiac arrest. The AED is a very effective device if used well. You should also learn CPR but, without defibrillation, the chance of surviving is a lot less.
In places like O'Hare Airport in Chicago they save about one person every two weeks using defibrillators. No one can affirm that all AEDs WILL save lives. But they could. It is not indicated for everyone but, for someone who can spend $1500 and have a heart condition that make them prone to sudden death, this device can be a very justificable spending.