Home defibrillator lets virtually anyone save a life

摘要

YOU'VE ALL SEEN the dramatic scenes on TV or in movies: An emergency medical technician or emergency-room specialist gets a cardiac-arrest case, and time is precious. The specialist quickly readies the victim, fires up the defibrillator unit, slaps on the paddles, and yells "clear." A few jolts later, the patient comes back to life, or, after a longer wait and more applied shocks, a doctor declares the patient dead.