Philips HeartStart Home AED Defibrillator with Slim Carry Case, M5068A-C01

Easy to use and worth price. I got it for ease of access of long trips outside the US, i.e., Philippines, Thailand, France, etc, where medical help is available but may be delayed. It solves initial help factor until professional medical assistance is needed. Can be easily packed in suitcase (battery removed) or as carry-on. Easy to train someone with limited English. Only drawback? It's only in English.

I bought this to keep in my home and take on trips to areas that there is not a close hospital. It comes with a video on how to set it up and use it, I highly recommend that you watch it. It also come with some coupons for CPR classes. Make sure you keep a razor with your AED. This was recommended to me by a family member who is an athletic trainer. A hairy chest can prevent the AED pads from properly attaching and could cause an incorrect reading of the heart rhythm. The area doesn’t have to be completely bare of hair, just remove ass much as you can quickly (remember time I important). The razor should be used dry, don't use anything to lubricate while shaving. It's also a good idea to have a CPR mask, disposable gloves, and clothes cutting scissors. Something else to note. The AED runs a self check every 24 hours. During the self check it will make a few clicks and the LED will turn solid green. This is normal. I keep mine in the bedroom and the first time mine did a self check was at night and I though something was wrong with it. It wasn't cheap but it does make me feel better to have it and hopefully I never actually have to use it.

This is an Atlanta Fox News story about my cardiac arrest and the use of the AED. It is well worth watching the related video and it will answer many of your questions. There is enough information in this article to google for the video link. All the best to you and yours. Ken ATLANTA - What would you do if someone's life rested in your hands? Fortunately for Ken Esmark, his coworkers at WebMD jumped into action. Esmark, WebMD's Director of Web Services, was 21 floors up, sitting in a meeting, when his heart suddenly stopped. "The last thing I remember is I was talking to them... And then it was lights out. There was no pain, there was nothing," Esmark said. The 62-year-old father of four, and grandfather, with no history of heart disease, was in sudden cardiac arrest. "Basically, he was dead when we found him. His mouth was foaming, he was completely unresponsive, nothing was going on," said Dr. Michael Smith. The only way to save Ken was to use an AED to shock his heart back into a normal rhythm. WebMD had put one in on Ken's floor a year ago, but Ken's boss Dr. Michael Smith, an internist, hadn't used a defibrillator in years. "It's just, you know, that this is someone's life. You have to save this person's life. For him, for his family," Smith said. Smith grabbed the AED. "Put it on, walked us through it. We did end up shocking him, did CPR chest compressions for about 45 seconds," Smith said. "I woke up on the floor and there was an EMT next to me and he was putting an oxygen mask on me," said Esmark. "And then he said, 'Can you stand up?' I said, 'Sure!'" Later in the emergency room, "The doctor came over to me, and she said to me, 'This is the worst day of your life, but it's also the best.' She said, 'You had cardiac arrest, but people generally don't make it.' And she said, 'And you're in really good shape.'" said Esmark. Many of Ken's coworkers are now taking an AED refresher course. "Even though people had AED training, it was a little scary," Smith said. But if you step in and render emergency assistance, Georgia's Good Samaritan law will protect you from being sued if something goes wrong. And what happened has changed both men. "The things that were important to me the day before? They weren't so important anymore," Esmark said. "Whenever I go into a community place, I look for the AED. I was at the airport the other day, walking down the terminal, I'm looking at where all the AED's are because now I realize, it could happen," Smith said. If you're worried you would freeze in an emergency like this, the AED has a computerized voice that will tell you what to do step by step. Esmark had an electrical problem with his heart that he's probably had all of his life. He now has an implanted defibrillator. Eight days after his sudden cardiac arrest, he was back at work at WebMD.

I bought this after my wife was having cardio problems as a piece of mind to have it in our house. Today it saved my wife’s life! It was very easy to use. Turns on automatically when you remove the pads. The voice commands were very clear and easy to understand to use. Ended up shocking my wife twice and got her heart going again. She survived a scad heart attack because of this device. Was worth every penny!

My neighbor just bought $4,000.00 worth of chrome wire wheels for his car. After installing them himself; his heart decided to crap-out from the physical stress of installing this junk on his car, WHICH ALREADY HAD WORKING WHEELS ON IT. His wife stood over him, helpless and in great stress, as she waited for the ambulance, as it drove by the house on the way to the WRONG address. (It was Violet ROAD/NOT Violet Avenue) By the time the medics arrived; he had expired and departed for the Afterlife. The sun glistened off the new shiney wire wheels and reflected a healthy glow on my poor neighbor's face, in stark contrast to the rest of his body, which was turning blue kinda fast. (A real "Kodak Moment.") DUMB way to die. What amazes me is this: People tend to spend a lot of money on useless things for themselves, in an effort to make themselves feel better. That's why I bought this defibulator. THIS makes ME feel better. Now, I shall purchase some slightly used chrome wire rims from the widow next door for about $500.00, because she needs the money in order to pay for some unexpected funeral expenses. At 67, the physical stress of installing these wheels on my ride might cause my own heart to blow out, so I will have my wifey standing by in the driveway with my new Portable Heart defib-Thingy, ready to jump-start ME...just in case. I even took the liberty of shaving my own chest, so the defib pads get a good connection to my ticker. My bare chest made me look 30 years younger, so I continued on and shaved my "landing Gear" and legs, too. That might have been a little too extreme because my wife complains that my legs are prettier than hers. My bad. A Phillips Heart Defibulator, PLUS a new $4,000.00 set of Chrome Wire Wheels for my '77 Pinto. ALL for less than $1,600.00. With my extensive background in electronics, I'm sure I can modify my heart defib thingy to Jump Start my beloved Pinto, should the occasion occur. Today's Lesson: Invest in YOURSELF before you invest in the stupid stuff. CATS have nine lives. You only get one. Buy the defib thingy and increase your chances of survival.

Thankfully, I have had to use this and hope I never do, so this review is based on what I have observed so far. Why did I buy one of these? I bought this because heart attacks are one of the leading causes of death and the faster you can get a heart beating again the better. Yes, it is expensive, but I can't imagine how I'd feel if I needed this and didn't have it. I know at that point I would spend anything. I feel a lot better owning this. (And hey, isn't it better for your heart to keep your stress levels lower? See, it is working already!) This came packed superbly. I had no fear the unit wasn't in great shape. When you open it, you are walked through a few steps to ensure it is working properly. Then he unit gives you a satisfying beep and has a little light on it to show the battery is working. It comes with instructions on how to use it, and I suggest you read them right away....along with everyone else in your household. An emergency is no time to become familiar with something. Not that it is difficult. It isn't. They show you exactly where and how to attach the pads and the unit won't let you "zap" anyone unless they need it. I've told my neighbors that I own one so we can all share it. If you have specific medical issues this might be covered under insurance. I didn't know that until I ordered it, and wish I had. I hope my review has been helpful to you.

Very nice to have

I know from personal experience if your gut is telling you to get one and you don't do it...I won't go into all the emotional part of my story ... But about 8 years ago, I thought about getting one of these but never did. Later in June of that year my father who was staying with me had heart failure. I knew CPR and started it right away, so when EMS got here about 12 minutes later they were able to use their defibrillator right away... without success. Had I had this defibrillator then, would it have saved my fathers life? I don't know for sure, but I sure wish I had had it then!!!!!!! So I'll just say IF you hear that inner voice telling you to get one...seriously consider it! If you do get one show everyone in the family how to use it, do a periodic refresher with your family, and keep it in a place where everyone knows where it is. Now I have one, to late for my dad, but there are others I need to look out for as well. I also would like to suggest that you contact your local hospital and take CPR and Heimlich courses and whatever else they offer! It's also a good idea to have a large emergency first aid kit, one that you may need to make up yourself...ask your doctor or nurse what to include...I have a couple large bottles of hydrogen peroxide, Iodine, eye wash, items for burns, etc. plus the normal items... rolls of bandage, tape, scissors, etc.. Try to cover all the common emergencies you can think of... just be sure to put it in a place a person can get to it quickly! If someone is bleeding heavily or has an eye injury, it's no time to have to try to locate the emergency kit!!! We keep ours in a 1st floor bathroom and we never put anything on top of it, so it can be found with our eyes closed, we also keep one in each vehicle. Back to this defibrillator, I have a nurse friend who told me it looked just like the one they have at the hospital. Also my family, who have no medical training, found the training DVD simple to understand. And this defibrillator will give you voice commands for the step by step procedure when activated. I have never had to use this on anyone, so I can not give you any report on my experience with this product in it's actual use. If you get one I hope you never have to use it, If you don't get one I sincerely hope you will never deeply regret that choice. A short video of this product in use [...]