One in every four deaths, i.e. 647,000 deaths in the U.S., are a result of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If the heart is still beating, but in an arrhythmic pattern, a defibrillator is used to treat it. The device sends an electric shock, which neutralizes a large amount of the current coming from the heart’s natural pacemaker, to allow the sinoatrial node to resume its normal functioning. Arrhythmias can be fatal if not stopped immediately, especially ventricular fibrillation (v-fib), during which the body has no pulse
These devices come in two variants: external defibrillators and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). External ones are commonly seen at hospitals and operated by medical professionals, while ICDs are implanted inside the body, for regular cardiac care. Of these, ICDs have witnessed higher uptake, on account of the technological advancements in these instruments and rising incidence of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In the coming years, the external variants are predicted to witness a more rapidly increasing uptake.
A key trend in the region is itself the rising adoption of automated external defibrillators (AED). The government, at the national and state/province levels, is taking initiatives to install public-access defibrillators (PAD), which are mostly AEDs, for the use of general public, in situations of emergency. Areas which witness a high footfall, such as schools and colleges, train stations, airports, shopping centers, leisure centers, and malls, are being rapidly equipped with AEDs, so that if anyone suffers a heart issue, bystanders can use the device to restore their sinus rhythm, until medical help arrives.
The surging geriatric population in many North American
countries is one of the major factors responsible for the growth of the North
American defibrillators market. In North America, the population of
geriatric people is growing at the fastest rate in the U.S. As per the report
published by the Population Reference Bureau in 2018, the total number of
people in the age bracket (65 years and above) in the U.S. is predicted to rise
from 46 million to more than 98 million during 2014—2060.
Hence, as people realize the importance of defibrillators, and governments keep up their efforts to make them easily accessible to the public, their uptake in North America will keep rising.