December 19, 2025 – CHELMSFORD, MASS. – ZOLL®, an Asahi Kasei company that manufactures medical devices and related software solutions, announced the U.S. launch of the next generation LifeVest wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD). This marks the fifth FDA-approved LifeVest WCD, which works seamlessly with the recently launched next generation LifeVest WCD garment, the most comfortable LifeVest WCD ever.¹

Backed by decades of continuous innovation informed by patient feedback, LifeVest continues to set the standard in the WCD market. LifeVest delivers highly effective, safe therapy for patients at risk of sudden cardiac death with the highest rates of WCD patient compliance based on peer-reviewed publications and real-world data.^2,3,4

“ZOLL is always innovating to ensure patients have protection from sudden cardiac death with a solution that seamlessly integrates into their lives outside of the hospital," said Mike Blastick, President of ZOLL Cardiac Management Solutions. "The latest LifeVest represents the next step in our mission, combining advanced technology with patient-centered design."

LifeVest WCD Advantages for Patient Safety and Interaction

The LifeVest WCD monitor features a patient-preferred streamlined design, based on extensive patient feedback and safety testing:

• The last three generations of the LifeVest WCD have incorporated response buttons directly into the monitor. The easy-to-reach buttons allow a conscious patient to delay an unnecessary treatment. In the recent SCD-PROTECT study of nearly 20,000 consecutive LifeVest patients, the inappropriate treatment rate was extremely low at 0.5%—by far the lowest rate across WCDs in published clinical data.²
• The last two generations of the LifeVest WCD monitor feature a large touchscreen, allowing patients to easily interact with important messages from the system.
• These design choices, informed by decades of patient testing and experience, eliminate the need for a separate smartphone-type device. LifeVest is the only WCD that does not require an additional device for patients to interact directly with the system.

Leading Innovation in the WCD Market

This latest launch is just one example of how ZOLL continues to lead the WCD category:

• More clinicians and patients are choosing a LifeVest WCD today than ever before, with growing clinical evidence supporting the need for sudden cardiac death (SCD) protection for newly diagnosed heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction.⁵
• The next generation LifeVest garment is preferred by patients for even greater comfort.¹ Built upon progressive advancements over the last five years, the LifeVest garment is designed to support patients in their daily lives outside of the hospital. Enhanced features include lightweight, athleisure-inspired performance-wear fabric, soft plush straps, flat-lock stitching, and the largest range of garment sizes, fitting chest measurements of 26”-56”.
• ZOLL pioneered AI for WCDs, with an AI-enhanced algorithm introduced in 2018 that reduced false alarms to a median of zero at 90 days.⁶ This latest generation LifeVest continues to incorporate an AI-enhanced algorithm.

LifeVest ranks #1 in Patient Compliance this Decade

Over two decades of engineering, patient feedback, and clinical evidence have shaped the most proven, patient-preferred LifeVest available today.

• LifeVest® ranks #1 in patient compliance at 23.4+ hours/day based on peer-reviewed publications and real-world data.^2,3,4
• Incomparable safety: In the recent SCD-PROTECT study of nearly 20,000 consecutive patients, LifeVest delivered incomparable safety while protecting patients from sudden cardiac death due to VT/VF:
  • 0.5% inappropriate shock rate— by far the lowest rate across WCDs in published clinical data.²
  • 99.7% of patients did not experience skin irritation requiring discontinuation.²
  • 0 deaths from VT/VF in patients wearing LifeVest.²
• Proven Efficacy:
  • LifeVest has delivered a >97% first shock success rate in clinical trials and real-world analyses.^7-10
  • LifeVest is the only WCD with 100% VT/VF conversion in a randomized control trial.¹¹

With >140,000 patients in clinical studies and well over one million lives protected, LifeVest is the most used, studied and proven wearable defibrillator.

Learn more about the market-leading innovations of LifeVest at LifeVestInnovation.com.

About ZOLL

ZOLL, an Asahi Kasei company, develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and cardiac monitoring, circulation enhancement and CPR feedback, supersaturated oxygen therapy, data management, ventilation, therapeutic temperature management, and sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, as well as lay rescuers, improve patient outcomes in critical cardiopulmonary conditions. For more information, visit www.zoll.com.

About Asahi Kasei

The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber businesses, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 50,000 employees worldwide, the company contributes to a sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's challenges through its three business sectors of Healthcare, Homes, and Material. Its healthcare operations include devices and systems for critical care, products and services for the manufacture of biotherapeutics, and a growing portfolio of specialty pharmaceuticals. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.com.

Asahi Kasei is also dedicated to sustainability initiatives and is contributing to reaching a carbon neutral society by 2050. To learn more, visit www.asahi-kasei.com/sustainability/.

¹ Data on file, 20c1184_a01. Garment Comparative Wear Test.
² David Duncker, Eloi Marijon, Marco Metra, Olivier Piot, Marat Fudim, Uwe Siebert, Norbert Frey, Lars Siegfried Maier, Johann Bauersachs, Sudden cardiac death in newly diagnosed non-ischaemic or ischaemic cardiomyopathy assessed with a wearable cardioverter-defibrillator: the German nationwide SCD-PROTECT study, European Heart Journal, 2025;, ehaf668, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf668
³ Garcia R, Combes N, Defaye P, et al. Wearable cardioverter-defibrillator in patients with a transient risk of sudden cardiac death: the WEARIT-France cohort study. EP Europace. 2020;23(1):73-81. doi:10.1093/europace/euaa268.
⁴ Data on file, 90d0258_a01. 2021 Commercial Compliance Analysis.
⁵ Based on commercial data as of November 2025.
⁶ Arkles J, Delaughter C, D’Souza B. A novel artificial intelligence based algorithm to reduce wearable cardioverter-defibrillator alarms. J Interv Cardiac Electrophysiol. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10840-023-01497-w.
⁷ Chung MK, Szymkiewicz SJ, Shao M, et al. Aggregate national experience with the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator: Event rates, compliance, and survival. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2010;56(3):194–203
⁸ Kutyifa V, Moss AJ, Klein H, et al. Use of the wearable cardioverter defibrillator in high-risk cardiac patients: Data from the prospective registry of patients using the wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WEARIT-II Registry). Circulation. 2015;132(17):1613–1619
⁹ Data on file, 90d0241_a01. Report of AArD Performance during 2019.
¹⁰ Data on file, 90a0061_a01_revb. Clinical Evaluation Report for LifeVest Wearable Defibrillator, Model 4000, 2021.
¹¹ Olgin, J. E., Pletcher, M. J., Vittinghoff, E., et al. Wearable Cardioverter–Defibrillator after Myocardial Infarction. New England Journal of Medicine. 2018; 379(13): 1205–1215. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1800781

Disclaimer: A controlled, head-to-head study evaluating the comparative performance of available WCD devices has not been done.

Copyright © 2025 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. ZOLL and LifeVest are registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Asahi Kasei is a registered trademark of Asahi Kasei Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.