CLEAR! Do-It-Yourself Defibrillator

The next time you make a run down to the local Staples for photocopy paper, floppy disks and that giant 24-pack of cookies, remember to pick up a defibrillator for those pesky occurrences of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Staples offers the over-the-counter Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator for $1,499.00, a little pricey but they include a helpful training video.

Philips points out that "it takes an average of nine minutes for emergency professionals to reach a victim in a typical community, and today, fewer than five percent of SCA victims survive. Nearly 80 percent of cardiac arrests occur in the home."

According to the Staples web catalog, the HeartStart unit:

• Comes with a convenient Quick Start Reference Guide and has interactive voice prompts that guide you.
• Analyzes the patient's underlying heart rhythm to determine whether or not to advise a shock, only treats shockable heart rhythm
• Comes with a 4-year battery and performs daily self-tests, if the device detects a problem, it chirps loudly to alert you

De-skilling is a major feature of a disruptive innovation. A calm interactive voice, friendly user interface and some intelligence that stops you from zapping a healthy heart give consumers in the office and at home a lifesaving tool thta used to be reserved for trained professionals.