The Latest Home Appliance

<h1> The Latest Home Appliance</h1>

<p align=right>by Tim Fogarty</p>

<div align=justify>by T. Fogarty <BR>Many people buy smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and security systems for their homes. Now the question is: Should a heart defibrillator be included in a home safety kit? <BR>The issue is being hotly debated in the medical community since the Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of the Philips Onsite defibrillator without a prescription. The portable device shocks the heart back into the proper beat after a sudden cardiac arrest. <BR>But an AED is expensive, costing from $1000-$2,500, and typically isn't covered by insurance. Although the FDA decision allowed AEDs to be sold without a prescription, there's little guidance on who should get one. Right now, people with known risk factors for heart attack, people over 50 and those living in rural areas are likely the best candidates. But whether the expense is worth it -- or whether users will be calm enough to shock their loved ones -- simply isn't known. <BR>Some doctors think more study is needed before recommending AEDs for home use. 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. It's estimated that as many as 450,000 people die of sudden cardiac arrest each year. By comparison, about 41,000 people die in car accidents each year. Home fires claimed the lives of 2,670 people. <BR>A cardiac arrest occurs when the lower chambers of the heart start beating rapidly. It is sudden and unpredictable, and renders the patient unconscious. To recover, the heart must be shocked into a normal rhythm with a defibrillator. For every minute past the arrest that the victim isn't shocked, the chance of survival drops by about 10%. The national survival rate of a sudden cardiac arrest is only 5%. <BR>We already know that AEDs in public places like airports and casinos have had a huge impact, boosting survival rates to 80% or better. While it's easy to argue the value of a defibrillator in a high-traffic area, it isn't yet clear whether AEDs in the home are worth the cost. Studies are under way to gauge the benefit, but results won't be known for about three years. It's estimated that 80% of sudden cardiac arrests occur at home. <BR>The more difficult question is who should buy one because sudden cardiac arrest, by definition, is unpredictable most of the time. Of those who die from cardiac arrest, 50% of men and 64% of women don't have symptoms of heart disease. <BR>Patients known to be at high risk for cardiac arrest probably don't need a home AED because they should be talking to their doctors about implantable devices that automatically shock the heart when they detect a rhythm change. Some experts think anyone over 50 who can afford it should buy a home AED. But the fact remains that most people who have an AED probably won't ever use it. <BR>That's not how Lee Curtes of Erin, Wis., sees it. Mr. Curtes purchased an AED for his home after a ski-patrol team used a portable AED to save his life on the top of a ski slope four years ago. He takes the machine with him in the car and on vacation. "I'm 59 years old and all my friends are around that age," says Mr. Curtes, a retired heating- and air-conditioning business owner. "I don't know that I bought it for myself as much as I bought it to save a life the way mine was saved." <BR>People who live in rural communities where emergency-response times are slow should think about a home AED. One idea may be for neighborhood groups to purchase a few devices and notify residents how to get them and use them in an emergency. An AED might be useful in a church or synagogue, and some parents have purchased AEDs for schools. <BR>The devices are surprisingly simple to use -- even by children. The Philips HeartStart AED approved for over-the-counter sale is about the size of a hardcover book. Pull a handle to activate the machine and a calm voice offers step-by-step instructions, from removing a patient's clothes to how to place two adhesive pads. The voice tells you when to press an orange button to deliver a shock. The voice will speak quickly or slow down depending on how quickly the user finishes a task. <BR>The Philips Onsite device can be purchased directly from American Med Supply for $1195 including shipping without a prescription. (www.americanmedsupply.com) <BR>While AEDs may be easy to use, one thing to ask before buying a device: Will you have the composure to use one in an emergency? Some experts have questioned whether a distraught family member would have the wherewithal to use a defibrillator during a crisis or whether the device might make people forget to call 911. "Will it be used or will people be in too much shock?" asks Stephen Siegel, cardiologist at NYU Medical Center and clinical assistant professor at the New York University School of Medicine. "I don't know how easy I could use a defibrillator on my wife or mother." <BR>University of Washington professor Gust Bardy, who is leading a study of home defibrillators and a consultant for AED makers, says that during the past few decades, he has encountered six cardiac arrests outside the hospital. The only person who survived was a woman who collapsed in the Denver airport, near a defibrillator that he used to resuscitate her. Dr. Bardy personally owns three of the devices -- one for his home and one in each of his cars. <BR><BR>The Philips Onsite AED : <BR>/www.americanmedsupply.com/store-products-Defibrillators-M5066A--Philips-Onsite-Home-Philips-HeartStart-Onsite-Home-Defibrillator_8628576.html> </div>

<p align=center>Article source: <a href="http://www.ArticlePros.com/Health-and-Fitness/Medical-Advancements-and-Research/article-24253.html">ArticlePros.com</a></p>
 
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		<p align=center><b>About the author</b></p>
		<p align=justify>Founder of American Med Supply. We are a factory authorized distributor for Cardiac Science, Zoll Medical Corporation and a major partner with Phillips Medical Systems providing defibrillators and AED programs nationwide.</p>
		<p align=left><a href="http://www.americanmedsupply.com" target="_blank" title="will open in new window" class=blue>http://www.americanmedsupply.com</a></p>				<p align=center><input type=button class=asubm value="Other articles by Tim Fogarty" onclick="document.location='http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Tim Fogarty'" style="height:20px;cursor:hand"></p>
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