The Heart Start Home Defibrillator, one of the AED, or Automatic External Defibrillators is made by the Philips Company. They are known for their full line of equipment designed to assist in public safety. Whether it is airbags, fire extinguishers, home security systems, they specialize in devices that protect the average citizen and those they love.

Heart attacks and incidents of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), account for nearly a quarter of a million deaths in the United States every year. What causes them is not completely understood. Very often, the person will have no history of any kind of heart disease, and a SCA can come at any time, in any place, and disable virtually anyone. The Philips's Heart Start is not only the first defibrillator intended for home use without a doctor's prescription; it is currently the only one available. When you consider that every minute after a heart attack or SCA is vital to the patient's survival, having a device that almost any person can operate increases their chance of living. According to medical experts, the first five minutes after the onset of ventricular fibrillation are critical. If a defibrillator is used within that time period, the patient has the best hope of surviving. However, it has been determined that not even one person in twenty survives a SCA due to the fact that a defibrillator is not available in time.

Automated External Defibrillators are intended for use in offices, restaurants, stores, gyms and countless other locations where medical attention can not be provided in a timely fashion. In the case of the Philips Heart Start Home Automated External Defibrillator, it has a vocal mechanism that gives very clear and precise instructions in a soft voice that talks a person through every step of its use. The device senses the actions of the user and adapts its instructions based on them. The Philips Company has perfected sophisticated technology, which enables the Heart Start to quickly decide if a shock even needs to be carried out. If it determines that an electrical jolt is not needed, it can then walk the user through all of the steps of CPR. The machine is powerful and versatile, and a useful weapon in the fight against the ravages of heart disease.