More people are buying a HeartStart Home Defibrillator than ever before and it's not hard to know why. With over eighty percent of cardiac arrests happening at home and with treatment needed in the first few minutes for the best chances of survival, having a home defibrillator just makes sense. Home units are particularly important for individuals at high risk for sudden cardiac arrest.

When buying a home defibrillator, there are some important things to keep in mind.

You want a defibrillator that is easy to use, even for someone with little or no training. This means that you want an automatic defibrillator and not a manual one.

The defibrillator should be safe to use for everyone involved. HeartStart home defibrillators automatically check to see whether a person is experiencing sudden cardiac arrest and delivers treatment only if the patient needs it. The unit will not let you shock someone if they are not experiencing cardiac arrest.

Look for a unit that has audio instructions. HeartStart defibrillators give instructions to users as you go along, helping to keep everyone calm and focused during an emergency. You won't need to worry about instructions being misplaced when you really need them.

Your unit needs to be reliable. HeartStart defibrillators perform self-tests to make sure that they are always ready in case of emergency. Philips also has been saving lives for over half a century so their products have a history of reliability. You can rest assured that the same technology used in your HeartStart Home Defibrillator is also used in Philips units at hospitals.

Since children less than eight years of age require less energy from a defibrillator, if you may need to use one on a young child you'll want special pads on hand or a defibrillator designed for use with children. For some homes, this will not be a consideration, but if it is, it's something that you need to keep in mind.

A HeartStart home defibrillator should be considered for any home where someone is at risk for sudden cardiac arrest. Many doctors and other medical professionals recommend Philips defibrillators so you know that you'll be getting a reliable, useful product. Don't forget to get some training, either through videos or hands-on activities, if you want to feel more comfortable with using the home defibrillator.