Study: Home Defibrillators Save Lives (But...)

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Home Defibrillators Save Lives in Study
2008-04-01 19:10:11
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE AP Medical Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — Having a defibrillator at home can help a heart attack survivor live through a second crisis, but so can CPR and at a much lower cost. That's the bottom line from the first test of using these heart-shocking devices in the home.

The devices worked. But so few people in the study were stricken at home, and CPR by spouses in the comparison group was so good, that the 7,000-person study wound up being be too small to prove that a defibrillator can improve survival.

It did for South Carolinian James Kennedy. For three years, his family lugged one to the grocery store, to church and on trips. "Thank God we had it" last August, when his daughter used it to save his life at home, said Kennedy's wife, Debra. Others also benefited — seven friends and neighbors of people in the study. They got a lifesaving heart shock, too. "There's no downside" to having a home defibrillator, said study leader Dr. Gust Bardy of the Seattle Institute for Cardiac Research.

However, they cost $1,000 or more. And others say health dollars are better spent boosting CPR training. Arguments to expand access to defibrillators "have an emotional quality" not justified by cost and success rates, said Dr. David Callans of the University of Pennsylvania.


Read more: http://myembarq.com/news/news_reader.php?storyid=15940735&feedid=14

[PittPoliSci]

1. well, considering that aeds are more effective than cpr...

it's probably a safe bet to conclude that if you have an aed at your house, you will have a better chance of surviving a heart attack. unfortunately, aeds are very, very, VERY expensive and i doubt everyone could afford one. cpr is usually 25 bucks to get certified? it's not a bad investment.

[Patriot Abroad]

2. Expect the rich to start buying them . . .

After all, it costs them almost that much just to fuel up their Humvee.

[PittPoliSci]

3. at about 2 grand for an aed...

i think their hummer costs more to fill up.

[tchunter]

4. very interesting

at work today i came across three bills in the Connecticut general assembly that were working their way through the house and senate that mandated having AED's in public places and gyms and the like. They seemed to have wide support and very likely to pass. I'm curious if other states have similar legislation