Layperson-operated auto-defibrillators save lives
Reuters, Fri Dec 23, 2005
"The findings come from the Brescia Early Defibrillation Study. "This is the first study ever to show that a ... program of early defibrillation fully operated by non-medical, non-paramedical personnel, over a broad area is effective and safe," Dr. Riccardo Cappato from the University of Milan told Reuters Health."

Growth Expected in Home Defibrillators
Seattle Post Intelligencer, July 17, 2005
"Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in America, so the potential market is sizeable. More than 100,000 AEDs are already sold each year, mainly to businesses and municipalities, generating more than $300 million in sales annually, according to Nathan H. Cohen, research analyst at Frost & Sullivan, a consulting company."

Defibrillator ordinance starts
Sun Sentinel, March 12, 2005
"Starting Sunday, Weston businesses must provide the public with easy-to-use automatic external defibrillators under an ordinance believed to be the first of its kind in the state. Although business operators and landlords who don't have the device installed and inspected will face 60 days in jail and a $500 fine, city officials don't expect to begin citing violators anytime soon."

Heart defibrillators are appearing in condos, clubs around S. Florida
Sun Sentinel, Feb. 21, 2005
"The paddles paramedics use to shock people back to life may someday become as common as a glass-encased fire extinguisher on the wall."

Thanking the lifesavers
Daily Herald, Jan. 8, 2005
"After paramedics use a defibrillator to save Jens McCown's life, the Lake Stevens man wants the public to have more access to them."

Help in heartbeat or false security?
Orlando Sentinel, Dec 14, 2004
"Partly on a whim, James W. Baum spent $2,000 apiece on three defibrillators -- one for each of his homes -- thinking he would someday need one to revive an elderly neighbor suffering from a cardiac arrest. Little did he know the device would save his own life. "I would be dead" without it, says the 65-year-old from Lodi, Calif.,..."

Future Shock - Home defibrillators catch on with cardiac patients
Ft. Wayne.Com, Dec 13, 2004
"But more than 70 percent of sudden cardiac arrests occur at home, he said, with more than half of those occurring in the master bedroom or an adjacent bathroom."

Owners encouraged to register defibrillators
Star Telegram - Dec 3, 2004
"...if it were up to Gary Terry, every home would have one. Terry has an AED in each of his two homes. An AED saved Terry's life when he went into cardiac arrest in March 2001 at Bergstrom Airport in Austin."

Defibrillators are worth the cost
Sun Sentinel - Nov 18, 2004
" I must wonder if the life of a family member was saved by an AED how expensive he might feel it is. I live in a community of 643 homes. There are 160 AED-trained residents and three on-premises defibrillators. What we have doesn't sound ridiculous or expensive to me or any of us. "

New technology can be stunning
Palm Beach Post - Nov 18, 2004
"Soon, the machines will become even more pervasive. This year, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first heart defibrillator for home use. Consumers don't even need a prescription for the device. Heck, they can order one from Amazon.com."

AIG Installing Medtronic Automated External Defibrillators
TMC.Net - Business Wire - Nov 16, 2004
"Companies install AEDs in their facilities in order to treat employees suffering from sudden cardiac arrest within three to five minutes as is recommended by the American Heart Association."

Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 Ranking; Names AED Maker Cardiac Science as Fourth Fastest Growing Company in North America With Google as First
Business Wire - Oct. 20, 2004
"Number 4 -- Cardiac Science Inc. (NASDAQ:DFIB), a life sciences company that develops and manufactures cardiac defibrillators, came in fourth. The Irvine, Calif.-based company reported revenues of $61,982,000 in 2003, jumping 60,077 percent from 1999 revenues of $103,000. Cardiac Science ranked Number 107 in 2003 and Number 417 in 2002."

Should a defibrillator be in your first-aid kit?
Wall Street Journal via SFGate, October 6, 2004
"But proponents say AEDs should be viewed like smoke detectors, seat belts and air bags: The majority of people won't need them but the devices are lifesavers if they do. The numbers appear to favor that argument."

Medtronic, Securitas Partner to Offer AEDs as Part of Security Package
Business Wire - Sept 27, 2004
In August of 2003, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) surveyed 400 of its members working in major corporations and businesses and found that 34 percent of those who have implemented an AED program have used their AED at least once in order to help save a life. The survey also showed that 66 percent of victims of SCA in the workplace were successfully revived.

State soon to require defibrillators in schools
Mt. Prospect Times - Sept 23, 2004
"They're as necessary as fire extinguishers, as first aid kits, as fire drills," he said. "In a few years, they will probably be part of a standard first aid kit."

Some questions remain about home use of defibrillators
USAToday - Sept 20, 2004
Here are answers, from experts and USA TODAY's research, to common questions:

Saving lives
Arizona Republic - Sept 20, 2004
Medical study proves we need more defibrillators in all public places.

Defibrillators move into the home
CBS.MarketWatch.com - Sept 17, 2004
What to consider before buying newly approved device

FDA Clears 1st Over-the-Counter Defibrillator
WebMD - Sept 16, 2004
Automated External Defibrillator May Now Be Purchased Without a Prescription

ZOLL Medical Corp. ships defibrillators to Iraq
Chelmsford Independent - September 16, 2004
...ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of resuscitation devices and software solutions, announced today that it has completed an expedited shipment of 518 ZOLL AED Plus(tm) automated external defibrillators to support U.S. troop efforts...

PDSHeart and Medtronic Form Partnership to Offer AEDs for Home Use under New Medicare Rules
Business Wire - Sept 14, 2004
Recent changes to Medicare guidelines now allow patients to rent-to-own the life-saving AED technology. The PDSHeart program adds no cost to a physician practice and is affordable to patients under their care.

Human error causes heartshockers to fail
Polk Online - Sept 13, 2004
Someone must hit the on switch. Beyond that, the newest defibrillators literally speak for themselves.

The Department of Health in England Selects Cardiac Science as Sole Supplier for National Public Access Defibrillation Program
Yahoo Finance/PR Newswire - Aug 26, 2004
This phase of England's National Defibrillator Programme is focused on providing more than 2,000 AEDs to Ambulance Services...

Program Promoting Early Defibrillation Improves in-Hospital Resuscitation Efforts
Reuters - Medscape - Aug 18, 2004 (J Am Coll Cardiol 2004;44:846-852.)
These patients were 14-times more likely to survive after the program was in place than before.

FAA rules U.S. jets must have defibrillators on board
USAToday - Apr 12, 2004
Starting Monday, every big jet in the U.S. fleet must have a defibrillator on board, making an airliner one of the safest places to have a cardiac arrest.

Six Minutes to Live or Die
USA Today - Feb 24, 2004
Los Angeles is one of many cities that routinely lie to themselves about their true response times to medical emergencies.

United Way launches program to save lives
The Argus Leader - Feb 6, 2004
Group to help businesses buy defibrillators

Public awareness of benefits, federal legislation creating big sales, new markets for defibrillators
Health Industry Today - March 2001
While significant, that number pales in comparison to the anticipated market surge expected to result in more than $1 billion in annual sales by 2006.

Federal Cardiac Arrest Survival Act of 2000 [ pdf 92.0KB ]
Provides additional Good Samaritan protection against liability for properly trained lay rescuers and acquirers of AEDs.