NASA blasts Physio-Control AED into outer space

Physio-Control’s Lifepak 1000 defibrillator has been deployed on the International Space Station (ISS) as the first automated external defibrillator (AED) in space.

The Lifepak 1000 AED will be available for NASA crew members should someone experience sudden cardiac arrest in space, according to the Redmond, Wash.-based company.

The ISS has utilized manual defibrillators in the past, but NASA decided to now deploy an AED because it requires less training and maintenance, better enabling astronauts to respond to a medical emergency, Physio-Control said. The company said its small size and light weight of the 1000 also helped minimize hardware mass and volume onboard the Space Station.

Physio-Control said its NASA’s medical operations personnel evaluated the use of LIFEPAK 1000 in zero gravity conditions aboard a NASA DC-9 test aircraft as part of developing their advanced life support use protocols.

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