The cardio-verter defibrillator (ICD) is an implantable device which is used to monitor heart rhythms and deliver shock if and when danger rhythms are detected. The ICD records the heart’s electrical patterns and therefore can easily detect whenever an abnormal heart beat occurs. It is in fact of great aid to the doctors during emergencies and check ups since they behave as reference materials to guide future treatment options.

Patients whose lower heart chambers or ventricles beat very fast is said to suffer from Tachycardia. Then there are those people whose ventricles quiver ineffectively, they happen to suffer from Fibrillation. Then there are patients who are facing impending danger due to prior cardiac arrest, heart failure, or ineffective drug therapy for abnormal heart rhythms. All of these patients make the ideal users of the cardio-verter defibrillator. Further details and information on this account can be obtained at www.DiscountAEDBatteries.com.

The defibrillator comprises of a battery and electrical circuitry that is the pulse generator which is connected to one or more insulated wires. Both of them are sealed together and implanted under the skin, usually near the shoulder. The wires of the defibrillator are threaded through the blood vessels to the heart muscles.
To ensure effectiveness in an emergency cardio-vascular care system, early integrated defibrillation is required. It is called the ‘chain of survival concept’. The process comprises of four parts:

1.    An early access – call the emergency medical services system immediately.
2.    Provide early CPR – the cardio-pulmonary resuscitation is an instant requirement.
3.    Provide early defibrillation – you must have proper equipment at your disposal and also be trained for correct its usage.
4.    Provide immediate advanced cardiovascular care.
In order to ensure early defibrillation, a defibrillator must be readily and immediately available to the emergency personnel who are responding to a victim of cardiac arrest. That is why the airports, stadiums, industry buildings and offices all are equipped with AEDs.

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in the form of ZOLL’s AED Plus features Real CPR Help is a tool which is designed to enable the user to monitor his actions and also provide Feedback to enable him to perform better. Its audio and visual prompts equip you with unmatched clarity and confidence in comparison to other available AEDs. When cardiac arrest strikes, about 50 percent of the victims require shock while the other half needs a CPR. Zoll’s AED Plus doesn’t simply deliver a shock it provides the rescuer with a superior quality CPR. They call it the Real CPR help.

The important features of the AED Plus are:

• A perfect CPR monitoring for the rate and depth of compressions
• A ‘complete chain of survival’ support
• Every victim of SCA can benefit from it, not necessary they require a shock treatment.
• Quick and accurate placement enabled by the ‘one-piece pad’.
• The easy availability of its ‘consumer lithium camera batteries’. They can be obtained from most of the retail stores.
• It has got ‘Intelligent Pediatric Capability’.
• Its AED program management is fostered by En-Pro.
• It operates with Zoll’s Rectilinear Biphasic Waveform.
• It has the ‘Post-Event Electrode Replacement Program’

The characteristic which makes this product unique is its interactive responses.

• 1. Say, if the push is not hard enough, it will prompt you to push harder.
  2. When the push is perfect, it will respond, ‘good compressions’.
  3. Its inbuilt Metronome will guide the user to the required rate if the pushing is not hard enough.
  4. The depth of each compression gets displayed in real time.
  5. If you happen to stop the compressions before schedule the AED Plus will ask you to get started or to continue.

The Zoll AED Plus’ complete revival process together with its intelligent pediatric capability makes it a perfect choice for the medical professionals too. You can view more details on www.AmericanMedSupply.com.

While sudden cardiac arrest is not as common of an occurrence in school-aged children as it is in many other segments of the population, particularly those in their early to middle age, it is something which happens and usually does so without warning.

This is a tragedy which is largely preventable, at least if the proper equipment is on hand. The first few minutes after a cardiac arrest are critical; and it can take some time for emergency personnel to arrive on the scene – by which time it may be too late! Every school nationwide should have several automatic external defibrillators on hand to avert these rare but heartrending tragedies from occurring.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the result of the electrical impulses which regulate the heartbeat and essentially tell the heart to continue performing its vital duty of pumping blood throughout the body being disrupted. This disruption causes in immediate cessation of heartbeat – at this point, the victim is clinically dead and unless action is taken immediately, they will remain so.

There is often not nearly enough time to wait for EMTs or paramedics to arrive in the case of a sudden cardiac arrest. The survival rate in victims of sudden cardiac arrest is less than 10%, unless they can receive immediate attention, typically involving a defibrillator. These devices are quite literally lifesavers and as such should be close at hand in every school.

A variety of congenital heart diseases and abnormalities can lead to incidences of sudden cardiac arrest in the young, especially following athletics and other strenuous activities. Needless to say, every parent of a student athlete must insist that automatic external defibrillators be on hand both at practices and meets or other sporting events for the protection of their and other children.

Sudden cardiac arrest can also happen as a result of strenuous activity combined with rapid growth (such as seen in teenagers). For your child’s sake, you should demand that your child’s school has this equipment.

Automatic external defibrillators also offer an educational opportunity to teaching staff with in schools. Students can be instructed on their proper use, preferably as part of a comprehensive first aid and emergency lesson. If students know how to use this equipment if called upon in an emergency, lives can be saved.

As a parent yourself, you know how important the safety of your children is to you. At your next parent’s night at your school, discuss the option of getting automatic external defibrillators for your child’s school – you can approach school administration about the idea at a PTA meeting or a session of your local school board. These are items which need to be in every school nationwide and can save parents the nightmare of losing a child.

AmericanMedSupply.com is the leading supplier of Automatic External Defibrillators, AED Batteries, AED Pads, AED Cabinets, and AED Medical Direction in the US. Discover how a simple AED can save your life, or the life of a loved one, go to www.AmericanMedSupply.com and get your *free* copy of “AED Life Alert”.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is characteristically different from ‘heart attack’. SCA is also known as sudden cardiac death because here the heart unexpectedly and all of a sudden stops beating. As a result, the brain and other crucial organs do not receive blood and the patient surely dies if he does not receive treatment within a few minutes. Whereas, in a heart attack, the heart does not necessarily stop beating. The blood flow to a particular part of the heart muscle is blocked. And the important point is that SCA may well occur during the recovery period of the patient who has suffered from heart attack.

The heart is basically an internal electrical system of the body. An abnormal heart rhythm, which is known as ‘Arrhythmia’, is the outcome due to any particular discrepancy in the electrical system.  Arrhythmias can have different manifestations. The heart can either beat very fast, or very slow or it can totally stop beating. When Arrhythmia occurs causing the heart to totally stop beating, it means that SCA has struck.

When SCA strikes, the initial symptom is a loss of consciousness that is akin to fainting. Simultaneously the breathing stops and neither the heart beat nor the pulse can be felt. Prior to fainting, it has been observed that the victims complain of a racing heart beat, a dizzy feeling or may be just a light head.

People who are victims of SCA call for immediate attention. The situation is so terse that almost ninety percent of people struck with SCA collapsed to death within minutes. The only immediate treatment can be provided with a device called the Defibrillator. It sends electric shocks to the heart in order to restore its functions. Automated External Defibrillators (AED) is widely used to save precious lives and they enjoy huge medical acceptance and are found in strategic places like the airport and office buildings.  More information is available at www.AmericanMedSupply.com