Home Defibrillators?

[HTRN]

Anybody have any experience with these?(boy I wish Aesop was here to answer this). I'm thinking that mebbe this might be a good idea, especially if they'res someone over 55 in the house with a history of heart problems, and Emergency services is more than 10 minutes away..

Anybody got any experience(good or bad) with them?


HTRN

[mekender]

got 2 of em hanging on the wall at work... seems like a real solid idea and could be a huge life saver.

[crazylegs]

We got some hanging up at work, and I was recently trained on them. The ones that we have seem pretty smart. The computer verbally instructs, looks for a heartbeat, zaps the patient, tries to detect a heartbeat again, and if none is found delivers a second zap. Rinse and repeat until the patient straightens out or the battery dies.

One of the oddy issues I've heard is that it won't zap someone with a naturally irregular heart beat. The computer gets confused and decides not to zap.

The good news is that it won't shock someone who isn't having a heart attack or otherwise going into cardiac arrest. So if you think the Mrs's is having a heart attack, and she's really having a seizure, the device won't zap unless the situation gets so bad that she goes into cardiac arrest.

Please bear in mind, these are the specific models that I have hanging up at work, and I was trained by Air Force trainers, who otherwise have no medical experience. Medical troops can answer your questions far better.

[Steamforger]

They seem to be a good idea. A friend working at Glacier Nat'l Park saved a guest with one some time ago. He said while everybody was freaking out, he just plucked it off the wall, fired it up, and followed the audible directions.

[HTRN]

The problem with them is one of cost - the cheap ones start at $1200, and go up from there.

I do think that if you fit the metric, It's a very good idea. Schools are now required to have them here(after 2 students dropped dead in the course of a month). It does make sense to have them in the likes of hotels, malls, etc.


HTRN

[randy]

I've had the American Heart Association training and refresher. I have not heard of any cases where they made a situation worse, even if they didn't improve it.

I believe that folks prone to heart attacks can get a prescription and have insurance cover some of the cost.

We have them at work and I know all the Sheriff's patrol cars have one.

[rightisright]

Uh, HTRN, your link points to a picture of a Yellow Lab and a woman on a raft in a pool.

Maybe the dog was trying to resuscitate her???

[HTRN]

Oops.

I was trying to copy and paste something from Rachel Lucas at the same time.


HTRN

[308Mike]

They save lives all the time. They aren't a cure-all by any means, but they certainly save more live than most people expect (NPS Morning report for Friday, September 05, 2008) - you have to understand their limitations:

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ,UT)
Visitor’s Life Saved Through CPR, Prompt Use Of AED

Park dispatch received a report via cellular phone late on the morning of August 31st that CPR was in progress on a man on a boat at Oak Bay on Lake Powell. Several rangers responded from Dangling Rope Marina, approximately 10 miles away. Rangers Chad Hunter and Seth Palmer were first on scene. Hunter located the speedboat and found the man lying in the stern. Hunter immediately applied an AED and delivered one shock, restoring the 67-year-old man’s pulse and breathing. A pediatric emergency room doctor on the boat had begun CPR about 20 minutes before the rangers arrived, bringing oxygen and a bag valve mask that enhanced the CPR efforts. The man was flown to Page Hospital, then taken to Flagstaff Medical Center. He was conscious and talking to staff in the ER in Page. [Submitted by Lindy Mihata, Law Enforcement Specialist]

[Lokidude]

The modern AED (defibrillator) is indeed very smart. It tells you, in words and pictures where to put the patches, and have as few buttons as possible. Place the patches, the machine analyzes, and if it detects a situation where a shock is warranted, it delivers a shock. We got to practice a bit on them in EMT school, and they were far simpler than the ambulance machines we trained on. I agree with HTRN. If someone in your household has a history of heart problems, and you can afford one, it could very plausibly be a lifesaver.