AEDs are found in many public places, transportation centers, gyms, schools, at athletic events, in offices, apartment buildings and homes. On the state level, many legislatures have passed laws that encourage a greater distribution and availability of AEDs. In fact, all 50 states have enacted defibrillator laws or adopted regulations.

Randy Lowers, President, L&R Services, Miramar, FL sells the Zoll AED and has heard from several of his dental accounts that dental offices will need to carry at least an emergency AED unit for any surgeries they perform.

Mark Taylor, VP/ sales, Dixie Medical, Jackson, TN says, "As new laws and protocols are passed in different states, more and more defibrillators are needed for an increasing number of sites." Taylor said that recently, the State of California passed a law requiring all health and fitness centers to have AEDs on site, and Tennessee has mandated that all dentists have AEDs and Pulse oximeters if they are sedating patients.

The commercial market for AEDs continues to grow and machines that once sold for $3,000 or more can now be purchased for $1,000 or less. It is estimated that lower prices will allow for easier access to a cost-conscious public and will probably account for 60 percent of AED unit shipments in 2011. Because of the low cost of purchasing an AED, many in the defibrillator refurbishing business shy away from rebuilding them, but several still repair them. L&R Services sells the Zoll AED and Lowers said that he would do annual inspections on AEDs for state and OSHA laws and standards. He agrees that it's not financially viable to refurbish these units because of their low cost. He sells the Zoll AED, he says, "because I can't compete with the larger market on selling the bigger critical care units, since everyone is upgrading to follow new standards. As far as servicing goes, right now all units in my critical accounts are new and under warranty with the manufacturer."

While the prices of AEDs are falling, manufactures must consider producing defibrillators with advanced functionalities that are more expensive in order to increase their overall profit margins. High-end external defibrillators that provide advanced monitoring and defibrillation capabilities are primarily used by emergency care personnel, physicians and trained nurse practitioners. They include many multi-parameter monitoring capabilities that allow caregivers to perform extensive life saving treatment that is recorded and channeled directly to the hospital, where a physician can give further instructions for treatment. All information can be immediately transferred to the treatment facility once the patient arrives.

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