The number one killing disease in the United States is heart disease. Every year there are more people who are affected by heart disease through themselves or a family member. This has led to unprecedented numbers of cardiac arrest moments. What’s so scary about cardiac arrest is that it can hit almost anyone. While there are many suggestive factors like obesity and age, it can strike young fit people out of nowhere. Everything needs to be done during these moments to try and help these people. Cardiac arrest is a true life or death situation.
This is where defibrillators have their place. Defibrillators are used when the heart is stopped or beating in such an irregular manner that it is causing immense harm to the body. Typically used in hospitals, the defibrillator has spread out to the private and business world as well!
AED Machines
There are many people who believe that an AED machine is crucial to their home safety. A home AED works much like the ones that people see on television. They use high voltages in order to shock the heart during a cardiac arrest incident.
However there is some confusion when it comes to AED machines. Many people believe they work on every form of heart attack or cardiac arrest. In actuality, these machines are very specialized and will only work under certain scenarios and circumstances. Before anyone purchases an AED for their home, they should contact their doctor. Their doctor can let them know if they have the correct type of heart diseases to warrant owning an AED machine.
Portable Defibrillator
One way in which defibrillators have become more useful is making them portable in nature. This portability means that they can be brought to an emergency location instead of the person suffering from cardiac arrest having to be brought to the machine.
One place where portable defibrillators are becoming more common is in the business world. Offices that have a huge number of workers are doing everything they can to enhance and make the workplace safer. This includes from pre existing issues that an employee may bring to work.
Companies that use entire buildings will often place a portable defibrillator on every single floor. They then train multiple people in the use of the defibrillator. These floor wardens are responsible for emergency use of the defibrillators and knowing when is the right time to do so. These people often have additional medical training like CPR certifications.
Defibrillator Costs
Like anything that is being purchased outside of a monopoly, the costs of defibrillators will vary. Defibrillators will come with a variety of features and are manufactured in different locations throughout the world.
The cost of a defibrillator tends to range from approximately $1,000 up to approximately $20,000. Obviously this is a serious investment, so it’s important to know if you truly need a home defibrillator. For businesses, these costs make more sense. The cost per person is deferred by the number of people that may be affected. In addition, if a business needs multiple defibrillators, they will be able to get a bulk discount. Much like almonds in a bin, buy in bulk and it’s cheaper!
Like a lot of things, defibrillators may seem too expensive. However, look at what they do. These are used to save lives. Lives can’t really be measured with a monetary value. They are priceless. If there’s one thing where you may not want to skimp a little extra money on, it’s a defibrillator.