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Automated
External Defibrillators (AEDs)
A detailed, bias, extremely subjective review of the leading
manufacturers, Sales, a Zoll Distributor..
According to the American Heart Association, every year 460,000
deaths arise in the United States from Sudden cardiac arrest.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) occurs when the lower chambers
of the heart (the ventricles) suddenly stop beating normally
and develop what is called ventricular fibrillation (VF).
VF is a chaotic heart rhythm that is similar where the heart
muscle begins quivering which prevents the heart from effectively
pumping blood. If this condition is not corrected immediately;
death will follow within 10 minutes. A defibrillator is the
only known device/technique that stops the chaotic electrical
heart activity and allows the heart to re-pace itself to a
normal rhythm.
Occasionally, the heart will
re-pace itself (5% of incidents); and if the patient has received
Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in this instance; a patient
will survive. Utilizing a defibrillator increases the odds
of survival from 5% with just CPR to as much as 80% if a Defibrillator
is placed on the patient within a few minutes of Sudden Cardiac
Arrest.
Not only
is it essential that a defibrillator be utilized in
such events, but that a defibrillator is accessible
within a few minutes of a cardiac arrest. For every
minute following onset of sudden cardiac arrest, the
chance of that person's survival drops by 10%.
As such, waiting for
the arrival of an ambulance or police car for just 6
minutes will reduce the opportunity for more than half
of all patients to receive a successful resuscitation
outcome. |
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Because of increasing awareness
and demand, the leading manufacturers of defibrillators began
producing a new device which required very little training,
was portable and relatively inexpensive; the Automated External
Defibrillator (AED). On November 13, 2000 President Clinton
signed the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act. This represents the
most comprehensive “Good Samaritan” legislation
ever established which provides complete immunity from civil
litigation for ALL PEOPLE USING AN AED.
Shortly thereafter, the Airlines
began getting sued by family members of people who might have
been saved had the airlines provided access to an AED. Businesses
now take the initiative to invest in AEDs rather than expose
themselves to the types of lawsuits that were initiated shortly
after the introduction of the fire extinguisher.
Somes
v. United Airlines, Inc.
In
1995, 39 year old Steven Somes died of a cardiac arrest
on a United Airlines flight from Boston to San Francisco.
The claim against United was based on the failure
to have an automatic external defibrillator ("AED")
on board Mr. Somes' plane, which would have saved
his life. Several obstacles stood in the way of successful
resolution: AEDs had not been required by the federal
government in 1995; no major U.S. airline carried
them in 1995; and the extensive regulation of airlines
by the federal government gave basis to a defense
that federal law preempted state law, such that no
claim was available.
Paul,
John, and Ronald Kidd and John Sikorski of Robinson
Donovan made extensive investigation into the medical
aspects of cardiac arrest, the technological history
of AEDs, the U.S. passenger airline industry, and
use of AEDs by foreign airlines beginning in the early
1990s. On behalf of Steven Somes's widow Jamie, a
wrongful death action was filed against United in
January 1998.
The
memorandum of law against preemption was prepared
by John and Paul. Federal District Court Judge Morris
Lasker largely adopted its reasoning in his lengthy
written opinion. Pre-trial discovery included extensive
motion practice and depositions in England and France.
In the course of obtaining complete records of the
airline industry's internal deliberations on the subject
of AEDs, Paul and John obtained substantial sanctions
against the principal lobby group of the U.S. domestic
airline industry, the Washington D.C.-based Airline
Transport Association. Somes' lawyers were prepared
to prove that United - like most other major U.S.
airlines - was well aware in 1995 of the inexpensive,
reliable, and proven life-saving capacity of AEDs,
but refused to install them on grounds of cost. United
settled the case before trial, the terms of which
remain confidential.
According
to a recent New York Times assessment, the Somes case
was instrumental in prompting the U.S. airline industry
to carry AEDs on passenger planes. The case has also
been recognized as a milestone in the cause of Public
Access Defibrillation ("PAD"), countering
the wide-spread but misguided perception that supposed
liabilities associated with AEDs outweigh the benefits
of installing them. Paul and John, in collaboration
with Robinson Donovan, continue to handle wrongful
death claims against airlines for failure to have
an AED, including suits filed in Chicago against Continental
Airlines, which was settled in the summer of 2002,
and against Frontier Airlines, which settled shortly
before trial.
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Although all AEDs
available in the USA are FDA approved for sale and
operates under the same basic principles; not all
AEDs are created equally, as manufacturing standards
vary. Very quickly you will determine that some very
big names have cut some very big corners! It seems
as though we have caught some with their pants down.
Myself and a few
associates reviewed manufacturers evaluating materials
utilized for construction; unit functionality; safety
of rescuers; pricing, technologies and financial stability
of manufacturer.
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When it comes to the life
or death of a loved one or co-worker we think you should make
an informed decision. To assess this, the units of major manufacturers
were taken apart, tested and critiqued from every conceivable
angle and the results were as follows:
General Impressions
Scale: Terrible, Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent
1. Access CardioSystems
GENERAL AREAS OF CONCERN:
• Batteries: Good
• PADS: Fair
• Water Resistance:
Terrible
• Financial Stability
of Manufacturer: Terrible
• Ease of Use: Fair
• Electrode Connections:
Terrible
• Airway Management:
Terrible
• CPR Assistance:
Terrible
• Pricing: Excellent
The Access AED is the easiest AED to transport
being it is the smallest, lightest and inexpensive AED on
the market.
Small Size Undoubtedly Attractive; but at what
cost?
Access Proprietary Battery
Unfortunately, our panel of experts indicated
that the cheap price of the product seemed to coincide with
its quality.
2. Cardiac
Science
GENERAL AREAS OF CONCERN:
• Batteries: Good
• PADS: Good
• Water Resistance:
Terrible
• Financial Stability
of Manufacturer: Good
• Ease of Use: Good
• Electrode Connections:
Terrible
• Airway Management:
Terrible
• CPR Assistance:
Terrible
• Pricing: Poor
Cardiac Science provides two AED models, the Powerheart for
the less experienced users and the more professional Diascope
g2. The Powerheart is equipped with pre-connected electrodes
that are included in the daily self-test. It also provides
a visible battery capacity gauge and full energy self testing.
Cardiac Science has gained a patented on/off signal during
which every time the lid opens the machine turns on. These
features and others make the Powerheart AED quicker to use
then almost any other AED on the market.
Cardiac Science PowerHeart
PowerHeart Proprietary Battery
After appreciating the significant
qualities of the Cardiac Science AED's, we looked closer for
any possible faults this machine might have. Among the most
serious was the dangerously weak connection of the electrode
pads to the Powerheart AED. The electrode pads channel the
defibrillating shock to the body of the victim. Without a
connection to the power source itself, these pads are deemed
worthless. The uncomfortable discovery was found that with
only a light tug of the wire, the plug for the electrode pads
was effortlessly yanked from the AED. The scene of disaster
is fearful and chaotic. There are usually crowds and commotion
around the dying victim. In the vital first minutes after
the heart goes into defibrillation, an AED is a life saving
factor. In the commotion of this life or death situation,
a small amount of pressure being put on these wires could
result in a fatal mistake. This mistake is not to be blamed
on an innocent good samaritan who attempts to save a life
with an AED. The blame is to be put on the manufacturers themselves.
PowerHeart connections easily come undone
Cardiac Science boasts about
the feature that automatically turns on the machine when the
lid to the AED is opened. This feature is extremely helpful
for quick access saving precious seconds. On the other hand,
the machine is also turned off when the lid is closed for
a few moments. When looked at closely, experts found that
the lid had no locking mechanism when opened. In fact, the
hinges on the lid were quite flimsy and a small bump in the
wrong direction could cause the lid to close suddenly. In
a scene of chaos such as this, it cannot be expected by the
laymen who this AED was designed for to be able to notice
such a seemingly minute detail as a closing lid. However,
it cannot help but be noticed when the machine turns off in
the middle of administering shocks to a dying person.
PowerHeart Unit Shuts Off When Accidentally
Closed
Many other faults were found as well. For example, there is
virtually no way to avoid the extremely adhesive pads on the
electrodes from sticking to bare skin or gloves. This may
sound like a minute detail, but seconds spent fiddling with
sticky pads are crucial in the situations this product was
designed for. Especially with distractions such as crowds,
yelling, sirens and bad weather such as rain. Yet, this is
not a product one would want to use the rain anyway. The battery
seal has a water resistance of IPX4. This means that it can
withstand only a light spray of water. The PowerHeart was
designed under the assumption that heart failures don't happen
in pouring rain. The Powerheart, unlike some of its competitors,
displays only the audio prompts, number of shocks and elapsed
time. The screen does not allow for an ALS user to analyze
the ECG. This product will work fine and may save lives, given
that the situation is without certain types of complications.
The effectiveness of a product of this importance based on
those terms is not a gamble worth betting a life on.
Something to consider is that
Cardiac Science has a very high profit margin on their AED
(60% gross margin) although good for investors; but are consumers
paying more than necessary? Regardless the unit seems to function
reliably.
We recommend extra batteries
with this unit.
We hope to see some consumer
batteries in the future, one piece pads and some price reductions
in the future!
3. Philips
Corporation
GENERAL AREAS OF CONCERN:
• Batteries: Good
• PADS: Good
• Water Resistance:
Poor
• Financial Stability
of Manufacturer: Excellent
• Ease of Use: Good
• Electrode Connections:
Excellent
• Airway Management:
Terrible
• CPR Assistance:
Terrible
• Pricing: Poor
The company Phillips has been bringing consumers high quality
products in the field of TV, video, and audio for years. They
can be trusted to bring us all the latest technology in the
entertainment business. We sat down to conduct a series of
important safety, convenience and durability tests a few problems
surfaced with the Phillips AtHome and FR2 AED's. Not unlike
most other large manufacturers of AED's, Phillip's provides
two mainstream AED's. The AtHome a.k.a. OnSite is a simpler
and also more fragile AED designed for laymen use. The FR2
is a more rugged, durable and has the ability to manually
override the AED function for ALS responders. Although we
can all count on the new Phillip's flat screen TV to be a
reliable source of our weekly dose of Friends, we felt hesitant
to go to the same source for a device used for saving lives.
With this in mind, the At Home and FR2 AED's were put through
especially close examination.
The FR2 is a rugged, durable, manual product
designed for professional use.
Philips HeartStart “Onsite & At Home”
Units are Identical
HeartStart has little to no Water Resistance
to Battery Compartment
Thin Plastic Easily Breaks Leaving PowerHeart
Unit Unusable
Sticky Pads are a serious concern with all
units reviewed except the ZOLL AED Unit
HeartStart Proprietary Battery uses Consumer
Batteries
repackaged and sealed in plastic case at ten times the cost!
Through research, they found
that Phillips AED has pioneered the science of pediatric defibrillation.
At first it seemed disturbing that the same amount of joules
(50) was used on a 55 lb. eight year old as an infant. This
seemed irresponsible and dangerous to children. Nevertheless,
in Phillips' defense, a child who receives an AED treatment
is almost always already clinically dead. Even though there
might be a safer pediatric treatment in the near future. It's
better to give children who go into SCA a risky chance then
none at all. Phillips has helped give these children a chance.
At first glance this seemed like a solid product. However,
there were many subtle imperfections in this extremely important
device. First, the electrode pads were insufficient for quick
application to a dying person. Like almost every other AED
that was inspected, there is no way to apply the pads to a
patient without wasting vital seconds un-sticking one's self
from the extremely adhesive pads. This may sound like a minor
detail to most, but when it's your father laying on the ground
with his heart going into defibrillation, seconds count. Not
to mention that because Phillips has so many other products
they're dealing with, they don't make they're own pads. At
the time these tests were conducted, August 18th 2003, we
were told that there was a three week backup on receiving
pads for Phillip's AED's. Since the pads are single use only,
this could be a fatal incident.
We recommend extra batteries
with this unit.
We hope to see some consumer
batteries in the future, one piece pads and some price reductions
in the future!
4. ZOLL AED
GENERAL AREAS OF CONCERN:
• Batteries: Excellent
• PADS: Excellent
(But VERY, VERY expensive
$149 each! Check out: http://www.zoll.us
now get two sets of pads with unit and FREE PADS for LIFE!)
• Water Resistance:
Excellent
• Financial Stability
of Manufacturer: Excellent
• Ease of Use: Excellent
• Electrode Connections:
Good
• Airway Management:
Excellent
• CPR Assistance:
Excellent
• Pricing: Excellent
ZOLL’s AED Plus
Creative. Innovative. Practical.
All words that came to mind when we examined the ZOLL AED
Plus. It was an effort in itself just finding even the most
diminutive of flaws. We were pleased to find that we failed
in finding any faults of significant importance in this product.
All that really stood out was that the ZOLL AED Plus might
not be the most financially efficient for those who would
use an AED often. This particular AED is really designed to
be used easily by somebody with not so much experience.
Nevertheless, even the most
highly trained officials can panic under pressure and the
ZOLL AED Plus offers them the support they need. It can also
be configured to skip certain steps if an ALS responder is
the primary user of the unit, which can save precious seconds.
The biggest issues with ZOLL’s
units don’t really relate to the product itself but
more with the company’s transition from distributing
to hospitals to distributing to the public. ZOLL’s previous
conservative credit terms and rigid attitude from within the
organization when communicating with distributors by January
2004 seem to have work itself out. However, distributors still
have significant restrictions in distributing to police, fire
and EMS; due to direct sales initiatives and such restrictions
are getting worse with Zoll's attempts to build a big internal
sales staff while Cardiac Science and other manufacturers
are cutting back internal efforts and expanding their distributor
network. What they don't seem to understand is that it is
impossible to build a big distribution network and and internal
sales network at the same time. Another issue with Zoll is
that although they sell the most sophisticated Hospital Grade
Defibrillator-Zoll M Series (the kind with paddles that requires
a paramedic, nurse or physician to operate), they refuse to
sell through distributors and are quickly losing market share
to competitors who see the opportunity like Cardiac Science
who is coming to market with their own Hospital Grade Defibrillator
and are selling through distributors. We know of one Zoll
AED distributor that turns away hundreds of potential sales
per month because they don't have product to sell and with
the increase in Community Based Heath Initiatives with clinics,
surgical centers and nurse practitioner staffing; the need
for Hospital Grade Defibrillators is increasing dramatically.
If Zoll were to market it's M Series through current distributors
we imagine that sales would increase 30% in the first year
for the M Series. Since it is the medical professionals that
also advise the community on which type of AED to purchase
with increased saturation of the M Series (probably the most
sophisticated Hospital Grade Defibrillator on the market);
the AED Plus would significantly benefit from the exposure,
since it uses the same technology.
ZOLL’s AED gets 1st Place Award
from Product Design and Development
& “Best Rated AED”
ZOLL seems to have employed the same thorough approach to
building an AED as they put into building their M-Series which
has been the leader in defibrillators in use in the best teaching
hospitals around the world. ZOLL conducted intensive focus
studies among EMS personnel prior to launching its AED product.
The ZOLL’s AED Plus
has more unique features then any of the other AED's we evaluated.
The most impressive of these features are those that focus
on the CPR portion of resuscitating a patient. ZOLL provides
a step-by-step prompt, guiding its user through the CPR process.
The lid of the AED double-acts as a head tilt chin lift, opening
the patient’s airway while the resuscitation process
is in effect. Most inexperienced users are too timid while
performing the chest compressions of CPR. The ZOLL AED Plus
has a CPR puck strategically placed between the convenient
one piece electrodes that provides constant feedback to the
rescuer on compression depth and rate. The AED Plus provides
you with audio reassurance that the compression depth being
applied is sufficient or if you need to “Push Harder.”
The AED Plus also provides the rescuer with an adaptive metronome
which gradually increases speed to bring the rescuer up to
the proper amount of compressions per minute. The one piece
electrode system; which fits 99% of patients helps the user
to avoid misplacing the electrode pads and can be adapted
by pulling the pin on the apex electrode and placing appropriately
on the larger patient.
ZOLL’s One Piece Pad System Coaches Rescuer
through CPR Compressions
There are many more advantages
to using the ZOLL AED Plus. The picture instruction prompt
coincides with the audio prompt making it accessible for use
to the hearing impaired or those who are having trouble hearing
due to loud noises and commotion which usually comes hand
and hand with emergency. The user friendly device uses consumer
type 123 lithium batteries. This makes it possible to buy
new batteries at a fraction of the price of ZOLL’s competitors.
The battery system only uses half the batteries it has stored
so if something goes wrong with a few of them, there are backups
already in place. Among the most impressive of qualities was
the creative design of the electrode pads. Not only the extremely
efficient one piece design, but the easy pull system which
was the only pads that could be readied for use extremely
fast without fumbling with the adhesive gel on the pads.
It’s because of ZOLL’s
extensive and careful planning and out of the box thinking
that won them an award from a well respected medical review
organization that totally flipped out when we disclosed their
findings on our site (we had to remove their name). Needless
to say as a result of our studies, we also rank the ZOLL AED
Plus to be the all around best AED on the market. ZOLL prevails
in the areas of user friendliness, reasonable pricing, safety
and effort towards improvement.
PASS Cover Slides under Shoulders of Patient
to create Patent Airway
Individually Installed Consumer Batteries Creates
Significant
Redundancy for defective batteries in Water Tight Sealed Compartment
We hope in the
future to see software upgrades that include a built in training
feature to the live unit; that automatically detects training
pads allowing consumers to not invest in separate training
unit; a few different color choices so we can match the unit
to our office decor; a backpack carrier; a car trunk mount.
To buy the Zoll unit contact
http://zoll.us
(866) 349-4300
5. Welch Allyn
GENERAL AREAS OF CONCERN:
• Batteries: Fair
• PADS: Good
• Water Resistance:
Good
• Financial Stability
of Manufacturer: Good
• Ease of Use: Good
• Electrode Connections:
Excellent
• Airway Management:
Terrible
• CPR Assistance:
Terrible
• Pricing: Excellent
Formally known as the MRL, Welch Allyn provides two basic
AED’s the AED 10 and the AED 20. The AED 10 is the laymen’s
version, the AED 20 being devoted to professional use only.
Our experts were pleased to find a strong connection from
the electrode pads to the AED itself.
Another feature our experts
liked was the clear audio prompts which were accompanied by
clear visual prompts to help direct the rescuer’s actions.
The color coded defibrillation system is designed for beginners
to use without delay, making it fast and easy to use.
The Welch Allyn has a unique
design where the battery double-acts as a handle for the unit.
This seemed to be an inefficient design considering the battery
would be the first thing damaged in the event the unit was
dropped. Another damage risk is the inefficient way the electrode
pads hang unprotected from the AED. There is no storage capacity
for this necessary part of the unit.
Welch Allyn Pads are too big to fit packaged
with unit
Like almost every other AED that was examined,
the electrode pads on this unit have no way system of peeling
off without getting the user stuck to them wasting precious
seconds. In addition, there is no prompt for CPR instructions
in this device leaving the user vulnerable to forgetting the
important life saving procedures. We found it of no use to
revive a patient with an AED only to let them suffocate because
the proper system was not implemented.
Proprietary Battery
Welch Allyn unit has easy to lose screws that
never tighten
Nice firm connection
We recommend extra batteries
with this unit.
We hope to see some consumer
batteries in the future, one piece pads and some price reductions
in the future!
6. Heartsine Technologies
GENERAL AREAS OF CONCERN:
• Batteries: Fair
• PADS: Good
• Water Resistance:
Poor
• Financial Stability
of Manufacturer: Terrible
• Ease of Use: Good
• Electrode Connections:
Fair
• Airway Management:
Terrible
• CPR Assistance:
Terrible
• Pricing: Good
HeartSine Technologies was founded in 1997 with the prime
goal to develop innovative yet affordable life-saving technologies
for cardiology applications principally their Samaritan AED.
At first glance the Samaritan AED looks like a viable contender
in the AED lineup. However after researching company operations
and financial capacity, we have cause for concern.
Samaritan AED
Samaritan's BIG Display is Very Cool; but who
knows how to interpret it?
Samaritan's Proprietary Battery
Samaritan's Pads are just as sticky and unmanageable
as the other two piece systems
Based in Belfast Northern
Ireland, HeartSine employs 21 people and are the only domestic
(UK) manufacturer of Automated External defibrillators. HeartSine’s
investors include ACT Venture Capital, Crescent Capital Venture
Fund and University Challenge Fund which reportedly invested
a total, of just over a million dollars (US); not much of
a cushion for research and development nor adequate financial
protection in the event of faulty manufacturing processes.
In fact according to financial reports filed with the SEC
it took 4 years for Cardiac Science to recover a $260,000
debt owed them by HeartSine; as the financial condition of
HeartSine warranted Cardiac Science to write off the debt.
Imagine a lawsuit in the millions of dollars for just a single
death; HeartSine apparently, as financed, is ill-equipped
to assume the financial responsibility of manufacturing medical
devices.
When testing a LIVE unit on
a woman in our office; the Samaritan indicated "SHOCK
ADVISED". Well we all agreed that this individual is
not the most exciting person we've ever encountered; she was
conscious and alert during the test. This sort of mistake
will inevitably happen in the field and when it does there
will be serious consequences. We also noticed that the heart
rate and rhythm changed as we changed pad locations on the
chest.
Given the apparent lack of
financial capital, our live test results and age of the manufacturer;
we have serious reservations with the Samaritan AED.
We recommend extra batteries
with this unit.
We hope to see some consumer
batteries in the future, one piece pads and some price reductions
in the future!
CONCLUSIONS:
It seems obvious that an essential
search to purchase an Automated External Defibrillator should
be among the viable contenders and that could only include
the manufacturers that are adequately financed to assume all
the responsibilities associated with manufacturing a medical
device. Although attractively priced HeartSine’s Samaritan
AED and Access CardioSystem’s AED can not seriously
be considered because they just don’t have the money
to play in the game.
Welch Allyn; ZOLL AED, Cardiac
Science and Philips Corporation all have fairly deep pockets
and in our opinion manufacture high quality AED units. However,
there scaled down consumer models in the $1300-$2000 range
have some very obvious short comings. We do NOT like ANY of
the @ home models we've reviewed; stick with the more reliable
public access models. But for the consumers who simply want
to comply with local protocol without regard to the obvious
liability of using a unit that might not function on a snowy
sidewalk or survive a fall from 3 feet; these units will suffice.
Some units comply with requirement to have an AED
Of these manufacturers one
manufacturer clearly stands out in the crowd; ZOLL Medical.
Although we had concerns about consumers getting product in
a timely fashion because of restrictive credit terms Gestapo
collection techniques placed upon distributors; they seem
to have rectified this issue as of January 2004. concerns
with not making M series available through distributors seems
to be more of a internal management turf issue not at all
related to product quality--hopefully internal distribution
issues does not interfere with product production and quality
control in the future- we'll keep our eyes open.
Our research indicates that
ZOLL conducted extensive research utilizing 1 ½ years
of focus studies where senior management interviewed countless
professionals in EMS, Police & Fire whom had used AED’s
in a professional setting and had concerns. ZOLL not only
listened to these concerns but integrated a response to these
concerns in their ZOLL AED Plus unit, it was about time that
someone listened.
Concerns that professionals
had were as follows:
a) PAD PLACEMENT—incorrect
pad placement by 1st Responders—ZOLL created “one
piece pads” eliminating incorrect pad placement
and pads sticking to rescuer’s gloved hands. While
teach AED use in one of my recent classes I noticed that
many students put two piece pads in the wrong place even
through they were clearly marked (I guess they were nervous---caught
up in the moment-perhaps not too different from a real
life situation? ZOLL also rocked the industry by creating
the longest life pads—4 years;
b) CPR COMPRESSIONS—disturbing
confusion exhibited by just about all first time 1st Responders
that performed CPR (ribs separating from sternum)—ZOLL
introduced “Compression Puck” that measures
depth and rate of CPR compressions and provides verbal
feedback and assurance that CPR is performed correctly;
c) PATENT AIRWAY—patients
suffocating after heart is revived by improper or no airway
management by 1st Responders—ZOLL created the “PASS”
(Passive Airway Support System) for their unit, which
utilizes the unit’s cover to slide under the patient’s
shoulder blades, thus creating a patent airway;
d) WATER RESISTANCE
Although NO known accidents have occurred where
a unit got wet and caused a fire to start or a rescuer
to be injured or killed, it was an accident waiting to
happen by the fact that NO AED manufacturer provided protection
for rescuer’s by incorporating significant water
resistance—ZOLL rather than wait for the inevitable
and demonstrate the industry’s norm of willful ignorance
integrated by far the most resistance AED to water;
e) HEARING IMPAIRED—where
an elderly person attempted to utilize an AED on a mate
or fellow patient they were frequently hard of hearing
and misunderstood the voice prompts—ZOLL integrated
illuminated pictures for each portion of the rescue that
guide children, the hard of hearing and the elderly on
proper use of their AED;
f) PEDIATRIC PADS—although
it almost never happens that an infant develops Sudden
Cardiac Arrest as a result of anything but obstructed
airway in which case the airway must be cleared before
reviving the heart, many politically minded companies
utilizing scare tactics rushed to the table and offering
Pediatric Pads for an AED. In fact the American Heart
Association’s position on CPR instructors teaching
AED use on an infant “optional”. We find selecting
an AED to use on infants ridiculous, of the EMS and emergency
nursing staff interviewed none thought an AED purchase
for use on an infant was warranted. However, with that
in mind all the manufacturers are addressing the political
issue of pediatric pads. The position that most manufacturers
have taken is that since the unit would most likely not
be used on an infant not much money would be invested
in development; therefore the only modification we were
able to determine was that the amount of joules administered
to the patient was decreased by using a resister. This
may seem like a viable alternative but in the rare case
of an infant actually needing a defibrillator from an
extreme fall or electric shock such an alternative of
limiting the joules might seem like a viable option but
when interviewing ZOLL’s employees we discovered
the obvious; that infants have different body composition
than adults and require not only less joules but a different
wave form specifically developed for infant’s muscle,
tissue and bone density—ZOLL’s pediatric pads
(expected January 2004) are the only pads to address the
infant’s unique body structure.
g) MONOPHASIC
vs BIPHASIC—when defibrillation started
500 joules was the standard; folks quickly discovered
that stopping the heart from quivering was only part of
the problem-- keeping the patient alive after successfully
defibrillating the heart was a greater concern; with that
in mind folks discovered that few survived shocks of greater
than 360 joules. In recent years it was discovered that
changing to biphasic would enable the majority of patients
to actually survive with energy levels not exceeding 200
joules. Personally I go with what the guys who have much
more experience in these areas than I do; Harvard University
recently switched to Zoll's Biphasic AED. It is kind of
like cooking... Everyone knows that if you turn up the
heat things cook quickly.. Keep your eye on the ball.
h) UPDATING OPERATING
SYSTEM—every AED utilizes complex computerized
operating systems. When Windows 95 was developed everyone
was certain that no future systems would be needed; and
then came Windows 98; then came Windows 2000; then came
Windows ME; ; then came Windows XP. Zoll's is the only
operating system that we know of that allows a user to
update it. Maybe not a big deal—but if the American
Heart Association decides that every AED should give it's
first shock at 50 joules and continue on from there—every
unit would need to be retrofitted by it's manufacturer—except
Zoll's. If you ever needed to reload Windows operating
system, download patches or updated drivers; you'll understand
the importance of being able to update your AED.
i) CONSUMER BATTERIES
vs. MEDICAL BATTERIES—where
batteries sometimes died unexpectedly by being exposed
to extreme temperatures and moisture, rescuers were at
the mercy of the AED companies for proprietary batteries
and forced to stock multiple high priced batteries ($195.00
- $350.00)—ZOLL integrated consumer lithium batteries
manufactured by companies that actually know what they
are doing. ZOLL’s unit utilizes 10 separately installed
consumer batteries that provide tremendous redundancy
because up to 5 batteries can die and the unit still remains
functional. The cost of replacement batteries for ZOLL’s
unit when searching the Internet was just $25 for all
ten batteries. It used to be that "Medical"
batteries were much much better than any consumer battery
but with the advent and proliferation of digital cameras—this
is no longer the case, no one makes a better battery than
a consumer lithium battery;
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Not only did ZOLL
make considerable improvements to the units on the
market they changed the playing field, they did so
by introducing a product that was approximately $1000
less than competitive models.
The other manufacturers
have begun to respond with Philips developing a one-piece
pad system (due to market 2nd quarter 2004) and manufacturers
developing a consumer model that is a scaled down
version of their EMS model but none seems to be able
to deliver the same bang for the buck that ZOLL has.
This is all good.
It seems that Zoll has set the standard for AED development
and we look forward to the response by other manufacturers
in the 2nd quarter of 2004.
NEW
STUDY BY HARVARD UNIVERSITY Rates Zoll's AED Easiest
to use by lay rescuers.
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To buy the Zoll unit contact
Zoll's US Distributors; now wholesale direct to consumer pricing,
recent offering includes: Zoll AED Plus Unit, Medical Authorization,
CPR-D One Piece Pads, Traditional two piece pads (these are
extra just in case), FREE Batteries for Life of Unit &
FREE Replacement Pads for Life of Unit contact: http://www.zoll.us
or
call (866) 349-4300
Zoll
AED Specifics:
Picture the Entire Rescue in One Device
When sudden collapse occurs, successful resuscitation involves
far more than pushing a button to deliver a shock. Rescuers
must recall all their training to save a life. That's why
rescuers want more than just a defibrillator. From ABC assessment
to defibrillation and CPR, the ZOLL AED Plus is the first
and only AED that guides rescuers through the entire rescue
process.
A Complete Resuscitation Roadmap
A picture is worth a thousand words, so the ZOLL AED Plus
uses a brilliant new graphical/voice user interface to help
the rescuer every step of the way. It's a confidence-building
coach at a moment of critical importance, helping the rescuer
do the most important things, and do them well.
Audio and Visual Coaching
The AED Plus's CPR Feedback is unique. Audio and visual cues
help prevent the two most common errors of CPR: inadequate
depth and inadequate rate.The AED Plus delivers voice prompts
like "press harder" or "good compression"
while its adaptive metronome leads the rescuer to the recommended
100 compression-per-minute rate.
An Electrode Pad with a Sensitive Side
The world's only one-piece electrode pads (CPR-D Padz) eliminate
placement mistakes. Only the ZOLL AED Plus helps the rescuer
perform CPR. A sensor on the CPR-D Padz tracks the rescuer's
compression depth and rate as soon as CPR begins.
Long-lasting Consumer Batteries for
Convenience and Savings
The ZOLL AED Plus runs on inexpensive, consumer "retail"
lithium batteries. On average, batteries will provide thirty
shocks after two years of automatic self tests.
The ZOLL AED Plus
For all the features that set it apart from other AEDs, the
ZOLL AED Plus hasn't sacrificed any of the hallmarks of ZOLL
durability, advanced technology, quality and value.
The AED Plus is Fully Configurable
From ECG all the way to the sequences of the user
interface.
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