Zhang Xuefeng's Death Rings Alarm Bell, These Are the Listed Companies with Domestic Sudden Cardiac Death Lifesaving Devices

Ask AI · How Can Domestic AEDs Break Through the Foreign Market Monopoly?

Reporter | Tang Weike

Editor | Ji Yuanyuan, Luo Yifan

On the evening of the 24th, @Zhang Xuefeng’s account posted an obituary, stating with great sorrow that, to all friends from all walks of life who cared about Zhang Xuefeng, dear teacher Zhang Xuefeng, due to sudden cardiac death and unsuccessful rescue efforts, passed away at 3:50 PM on March 24, 2026, in Suzhou.

Renowned education blogger and founder of Fengxue Wei Lai, Zhang Xuefeng, died of sudden cardiac death in Suzhou, sparking widespread regret.

This sudden event has once again brought attention to topics such as the “golden 4 minutes” of cardiac arrest first aid, the gap in AED deployment, and the development of domestic emergency equipment industries, pushing them to the forefront of public and policy discussion. In the context of an underdeveloped out-of-hospital emergency system, AEDs—once seen as “life-saving magic”—are now “everywhere,” but still require coordinated policy, industry, and social efforts to break through.

Sudden cardiac death has become the leading cause of death among adults in China. Public data shows that over 500,000 new cases of sudden cardiac death occur annually in China, with out-of-hospital survival rates below 1%, far lower than in developed Western countries.

Beijing Emergency Center Director Dr. Chen Zhi repeatedly emphasized in an interview with CCTV’s “News 1+1” that the safe oxygen deprivation window after cardiac arrest is only 4 minutes; every minute of delay reduces patient survival by 7%–10%.

If CPR and AED defibrillation are performed within 4 minutes, survival rates can increase to over 50%.

Most sudden deaths are caused by cardiac arrhythmia leading to ventricular fibrillation. Before fibrillation occurs, the heart exhibits ventricular response, with rapid and uncoordinated contractions of the ventricles and atria, preventing the heart from pumping blood into the arteries. Once fibrillation occurs, cardiac function rapidly deteriorates; without timely defibrillation, the patient may die within minutes.

AEDs are the key tool to terminate this fatal ventricular fibrillation.

The earliest AEDs date back to the 20th century, designed by Professor Dick from the Medical School of Mainz University in Germany. They are portable, easy-to-operate devices capable of diagnosing specific arrhythmias and delivering quick electric shocks to stop ventricular fibrillation.

However, AEDs seem somewhat “unsuitable” for China. For a long time, AEDs have been regarded as an obscure and awkward presence: few people know about them, few places have them installed, and even fewer know how to use them.

It wasn’t until public figures experienced sudden cardiac death, sparking social discussion, and frequent incidents occurred that AEDs began to come into public view, attracting attention and importance. It was at this point that we realized the deployment and popularization of AEDs lag far behind the incidence of sudden death.

Preventing Sudden Death, AEDs Must Continue to Break Through

Guangdong Second People’s Hospital Emergency Medicine Department Director Tang Youqing also pointed out in a public interview that urban traffic congestion and response distances make it difficult for ambulances to reach the scene within the “golden 4 minutes.” The gap in pre-hospital emergency care can only be filled by public self-help, mutual aid, and nearby emergency devices.

Zhang Li, Director of Rescue Department at the Red Cross Society of China, said in an interview that AEDs are the most critical equipment for saving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients. Proper deployment and standardized use can significantly reduce death rates from sudden cardiac death. By December 2025, the national Red Cross system has installed over 86,000 AEDs in public places, but there remains a huge gap in coverage relative to population density.

Sun Da, Secretary of the Party Committee of the China Charity Federation, also pointed out that in China, there are fewer than 5 AEDs per 100,000 people, compared to over 300 in the US and more than 700 in Japan. Alarmingly, about 70% of cardiac arrests occur in communities, workplaces, and other areas where AED coverage is weakest.

From an industry perspective, the proliferation of AEDs is also steadily advancing.

For a long time, China’s AED market has been dominated by foreign brands, with Philips, Medtronic, ZOLL, and others holding over 70% of the domestic market share. With accelerated development of the public health system and domestic medical device manufacturing, domestic companies like Mindray Medical, Yuwell Medical, Jiuxin Medical, and Weiweis have rapidly risen, achieving technological breakthroughs and market substitution.

According to industry data from the China Medical Device Industry Association, by the end of 2024, the domestically produced AEDs had an average localization rate of 82.3%, with structural parts, batteries, and other components fully supplied domestically. Key core components such as electrocardiogram front-end chips and high-voltage energy storage capacitors are also steadily becoming domestically produced.

Previously, a sales representative from South China Medical Devices told 21st Century Business Herald that domestically produced AEDs are generally priced 30%–50% lower than foreign equivalents, offering significant cost-performance advantages in government procurement and grassroots healthcare scenarios.

Industry estimates show that by 2025, China’s AED market will exceed 4 billion yuan, with an annual growth rate of over 35%. The market is expected to reach 5.5 billion yuan in 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of over 30% from 2025 to 2030. Leading domestic companies now have annual production capacities of tens of thousands of units, with products installed in airports, high-speed rail stations, sports venues, and top-tier hospitals. In some provinces, domestic AEDs account for over 50% of public procurement.

In addition, AED deployment involves not only procurement costs but also consumables such as electrodes and batteries, which need regular replacement every 2–5 years. The annual consumables cost is approximately 580–1,000 yuan.

Meanwhile, driven by market demand, the AED industry is rapidly developing. Besides its role in rescuing sudden cardiac death patients, AEDs are also applicable in treating other cardiovascular diseases.

Equipment and Emergency Skills Are Both Essential

Despite continuous industry growth, China still faces significant gaps in AED numbers, uneven regional distribution, and low public awareness.

Nuo Min, Chief of General Practice at Bajiao Community Health Service Center in Shijingshan District, Beijing, found that public awareness of AEDs is generally low; many people are afraid to operate or simply do not know how to use the device. Although the “Good Samaritan Law” explicitly provides legal protection for emergency rescue actions in the Civil Code, public awareness remains low, and rescuers often have legal and psychological concerns.

Sun Da summarized three main challenges in AED popularization: uneven coverage, maintenance issues, and insufficient training. Some AEDs lack dedicated management, with batteries and electrodes expiring and becoming useless, turning into mere “visible but unusable” displays.

At the same time, only about 10 million people in China receive standardized first aid training each year, with less than 1% awareness of emergency rescue knowledge—far from establishing a societal emergency rescue capacity. Spatially, core transportation hubs and large shopping malls in first-tier cities have relatively high coverage, but second- and third-tier cities, counties, office buildings, and corporate campuses are severely lacking. The workplace environment where Zhang Xuefeng suddenly died is a typical emergency blind spot.

In fact, the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China explicitly states that “if voluntary emergency rescue causes harm to the rescued person, the rescuer shall not bear civil liability.”

More importantly, AEDs are called “foolproof defibrillators” because their operation is very simple; non-professionals can use them. As long as users follow the screen instructions, there is little risk of error.

As a “life-saving magic” for sudden cardiac death, AEDs can provide more possibilities for saving lives. Using an AED might give a sudden death patient an extra chance to survive.

Policy measures have begun systematically addressing public emergency shortfalls. The “14th Five-Year Plan” and the “15th Five-Year Plan” include improving the public emergency system, popularizing AED deployment, and emergency skills as key tasks for building a Healthy China. Multiple departments, including the National Health Commission, Ministry of Transport, and Ministry of Education, jointly issued notices requiring airports, train stations, subway stations, schools, shopping malls, and major enterprises to achieve near-complete AED coverage by 2027. Many local governments have incorporated AED deployment into livelihood projects, providing financial subsidies and special funds.

There have been proposals to precisely allocate AEDs based on community population density and cardiovascular disease risk, focusing on old neighborhoods, industrial parks, office buildings, and other emergency gaps.

On the industry side, integrated operation models combining AEDs, IoT, and emergency training are gradually becoming mainstream. Device networking, remote monitoring, and expiration reminders greatly improve maintenance efficiency. By 2025, the total financing in China’s AED sector has exceeded 1.5 billion yuan, with capital increasingly focusing on domestic companies with core technologies and full-chain services.

Zhang Xuefeng’s death again proves that sudden cardiac death affects all ages, professions, and statuses. The widespread adoption of AEDs is no longer optional but a public safety imperative. From an industry perspective, domestic companies still need to make continuous breakthroughs in reliability, intelligence, and cost control, accelerate the full independence of core components, and promote integrated device, training, and maintenance services. Policy-wise, further strengthening legal protections for rescuers, increasing awareness of “emergency rescue exemption,” and making AED deployment and rescue training mandatory are essential.

Most importantly, society’s overall emergency rescue literacy must be improved.

Only when enterprises, communities, and schools actively undertake deployment and public education responsibilities, and media and public welfare organizations continuously promote the concept of “dare to use, know how to use, easy to use” emergency rescue, can AEDs truly become part of streets, buildings, and workshops. The “golden 4 minutes” life line can then be firmly established. For the emerging domestic AED industry, the concentrated demand for public emergency response is both a market opportunity and a heavy social responsibility.

Appendix: How to Use an AED?

1. Check if the patient is conscious; tap and shout loudly.

2. If no response, seek help; call 120 and retrieve the AED.

3. Check breathing (5–10 seconds), perform chest compressions and rescue breaths.

4. Turn on the AED, attach the electrode pads as shown. The AED will automatically analyze the heart rhythm.

5. Follow AED prompts to deliver a shock or continue CPR.

Precautions

• The AED can deliver up to 200 joules instantly. During rescue, press the shock button and immediately move away from the patient, warning others nearby not to touch the patient.

• Do not use AED in water. If the patient’s chest is sweaty, dry it quickly, as water reduces AED effectiveness.

• If after using the AED the patient shows no vital signs (no breathing or heartbeat), rush to hospital immediately.

SFC

Produced by 21st Century Business Herald