Sudden heart stoppage, known as cardiac arrest, affects between 250,000 and 450,000 Americans each year. Defibrillators are used to try and restore normal heart rhythm by delivering a shock. Recently, Zoll Medical Corp. issued an alert regarding its AED Plus external defibrillators. Due to defective batteries and software that fails to detect battery problems, the Zoll defibrillators may fail to deliver shocks. Two patient deaths have been linked to such failures. The Zoll defibrillators in question are used in public places such as airports, health clubs and schools. Sudden heart stoppage can be caused several things, including silent coronary artery disease and heart rhythm disturbance. The survival rate for sudden heart stoppage averages between 5 and 7 percent in the U.S.
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