Looking at getting a home AED. I have a 6 and 2 yo. Heart disease my side of the family. Yes it's a luxury item but I don't care. Thoughts on brands/features to have and those to avoid.

Do you have a history of heart problems yourself? Arrhythmias? Family history of sudden cardiac death before 40? By that I mean the drop dead kind?

Might be worthwhile just to discuss your overall risk with your doctor before making a purchase like this.

There is a difference between heart disease in the family and risk for sudden cardiac death, esp in younger people.

Buying it's not a big deal but you do have to maintain the batteries and at least one other person in the house should be trained in how to apply and use. > 10 years old should easily be teachable and trainable.

Saw this discussion online recently. Heard recommendations for avive, Phillips heart start, and Samaritan. Zoll was also mentioned. Some said figure out what local EMS was using so pads would be interchangeable. And also consider just buying whatever is cheapest.

Agree with doc above though, but it's hard to say. I don't want to insult your intelligence, but just because someone goes into cardiac arrest doesn't mean a defibrillator will revive them. There are many reasons it can occur, and several different heart rhythms. Only 2 specific rhythms will benefit from defibrillation. But making sure everyone in the home knows how to effectively do compressions can definitely be useful in all scenarios.

You would be (actually, everyone would be) better off taking a Basic Life Support (BLS) class and learning CPR.