Press Clips

Defibrillator in back seat pays off with one life saved — so far

The defibrillator Marc Alfonso carries around in his station wagon at all times has been used only once.

It was July 16, on Southwest Marine Drive in Vancouver when Alfonso, 29, jumped into the chaos that followed a red pickup truck after it hit a power pole and slammed into a retaining wall at Victoria Drive.

What happened that day has earned Alfonso and another passerby, Quisha Girard-Lau, a Vital Link Award from the B.C. Ambulance Service. The award, recognizing life-saving actions in a medical emergency, will be presented today.

Medical Device Maker Looks Beyond Hospitals

When Glenn Laub and Gintaras Vaisnys decided to launch Defibtech a decade ago, it could have been a terrible time to start manufacturing and selling automated external defibrillators.

Large makers such as Philips Medical Systems, Medtronic Inc. and Cardiac Science dominated the health care industry, making it tough for the start-up to find customers in the hospital and ambulance market.

Rather than seeing an obstacle, they saw an opportunity.

A Very Happy Father's Day: Son Saves Dad's Life With Portable Defibrillator

Wayne Millen worried for years that he'd die of sudden heart attack. Genetically, his odds weren't good. His father died of a heart attack at age 66. His mother underwent heart bypass surgery when she was 66. His younger brother, after surviving two heart attacks in two years, died at age 53 of sudden cardiac arrest.

So Millen regularly sent to the doctor. He submitted to all recommended medical tests and took medication that lowered his cholesterol to ideal levels. He worked to stay fit. And last year he bought an automated external defibrillator.

Defibtech Named to Marcum Tech Top 40 for Fifth Consecutive Year
Defibtech's Ability to Design and Update AEDs According to the Latest Resuscitation Guidelines Translates into Rapid Growth.

Building upon its reputation as a designer and manufacturer of the leading-edge Lifeline and ReviveR automated external defibrillators (AEDs), Defibtech has been named for the fifth consecutive year to the Marcum Tech Top 40, an annual compilation of the 40 fastest growing technology companies in Connecticut. 

Long Island Man Survives Cardiac Scare

Zach Young was 21 years old in January when he got a phone call inviting him to play hockey - a call that probably saved his life. 

Zach was home on Long Island with his dad when a friend invited him to the rink in nearby Bethpage. Once he got there, Zach's heart stopped suddenly and without warning. "I was sitting on one of the bleachers right outside the rink and apparently I started to feel really hot and I just went down." 

Zach collapsed just before 11 p.m. that night. His quick-thinking friends grabbed an automatic external defibrillator, attached the pads on Zach's chest, and pressed the button. Doctors said he would have died without it. 

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