A Chronology Of The AED's Development

Dec. 15, 2005

U.S. patent number 6,871,093 B2, assigned to Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., Eindhoven, the Netherlands and listing the inventor as Kim J. Hansen, Renton, Wash., describes the earliest details of the HeartStart defibrillator's design. The patent, w

Roger Allan

Major milestones in the AED's history are listed below in descending chronological order:

Sept. 16, 2004: The FDA clears the HeartStart automated external defibrillator (AED) for over-the-counter prescription-less sale to home users. On the same day, the AHA endorses this move. April 12, 2004: A U.S. Federal Aviation (FAA) mandate goes into effect, requiring U.S. airlines to carry AEDs on all large passenger-carrying aircraft. Nov. 13, 2002: The FDA clears Philips' HeartStart AED, the first of a new generation of defibrillators for home use. May 2, 2001: The FDA clears the first AED for use on infants and children under the age of eight, when equipped with specially designed defibrillation pads. Oct. 25, 2000: CVS/Pharmacy offers defibrillators to consumers with prescriptions at CVS.com, marking the first time a device is available through a consumer retail channel. March 2, 1999: The American Red Cross announces the inclusion of defibrillator training as part of its standard CPR training course for U.S businesses to ensure that employee lay rescuers are trained and equipped to save lives at work. Sept. 12, 1998: The FDA clears the industry's first AED using biphasic technology. Published studies later demonstrate that this waveform, which uses less energy, has superior first-shock efficacy and induces less cardiac dysfunction in the heart.

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About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.