Each year sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) strikes approximately a quarter-million people in the U.S. alone. The majority of these people have no warning, since they show no prior symptoms. And, sadly, fewer than 5% survive, often because emergency medical services cannot reach them in time. When sudden cardiac arrest strikes , the electrical system of the heart short-circuits, most often causing an abnormal rhythm known as ventricular fibrillation. Lacking proper blood flow, the person loses consciousness, stops breathing and will die unless promptly treated. CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) can help a person in cardiac arrest, but it alone cannot save lives. A "shock" from a defibrillator - defibrillation therapy - is needed to restore the heart's normal pumping rhythm. A victim's best chance of surviving SCA is to receive that shock within 5 minutes of collapse. Over the last 20 years, there has been a widespread effort to move defibrillators into communities where they can be accessed and used by trained citizens, who might be present at the onset of SCA or first on the scene. To that end, Philips produces easy-to-use automated external defibrillators. Our HeartStart defibrillators enable almost anybody to treat SCA quickly and effectively, wherever it happens - at work, at play, in the air - providing the power to save a life.