(Aging Untold) — A Phoenix man says a wearable defibrillator vest saved his life after he went into cardiac arrest at home in the middle of the night.

Isy Sonabend, 72, had a heart attack last year. After recovering and being discharged from the hospital, doctors prescribed him a life vest—a wearable heart monitor and defibrillator designed to be worn around the clock—because he remained at risk of another cardiac event.

“The EMTs - my doctor - people at the hospital - everybody said that thing saved your life,” Sonabend said.

How the device works

Gerontologist and Aging Untold expert Sam Cradduck said the vest addresses a specific problem with the heart’s electrical system.

“The heart works on electrical rhythms… Sometimes we lose those rhythms so that blub blub blub and so when you lose that rhythm the heart actually stops for a minute and so how you get the rhythm to create back is you create an electrical shock… so that defib literally is shocking that heart back into a functioning rhythm,” Cradduck said.

Vest responds during overnight cardiac arrest

When Sonabend went into cardiac arrest at home, the vest delivered a shock before paramedics arrived.

“That vest was able to shock his heart save his life while they were waiting on the paramedics to get there,” Cradduck said. “Amazing that they had that opportunity and not any damage was done by waiting.”

Growing use among cardiologists

Doctors at Banner University Medical Center in Phoenix said a growing number of cardiologists are prescribing the life vest for patients who are in the middle of treatment or waiting for another procedure. The company that makes the vest said the device is saving three patients a day across the country.

Sonabend and his wife Benita are now traveling again and spending time with family.

“It’s my mission to make sure that I make the most of what there is and then give back,” Sonabend said.

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