Maker of CellAED personal defibrillator collapses with debts of $32 million
A national home defibrillator maker has collapsed owing $32m, leaving thousands of customers who bought the $299 ‘lifesaving’ devices facing uncertainty over refunds.
The Sydney company behind a much hyped personal defibrillator has been shut down, leaving thousands of customers in limbo and unsure whether they will ever see refunds or replacement devices.
Administrators Hall Chadwick placed Rapid Response Revival Research Limited, the manufacturer of the CellAED device, into liquidation on Monday after failing to find a buyer.
The company had racked up $32m worth of debts with $3.3m owed to staff, the administrators reported.
Assets are estimated to be worth a maximum of $76,000.
Administrators reported to creditors last week that the company may have been trading while insolvent since August 2023.
CellAED was developed by Northern Beaches businessman Donovan Casey after his wife suffered a cardiac arrest at home in 2014.
The compact $299 device was marketed as a lifesaving gadget for households, allowing ordinary people to deliver a shock to someone in cardiac arrest before paramedics arrived.
Mr Casey remains a director of the company along with William Haines.
The company also pushed a subscription model called CellAED for Life, which provided monitoring, automatic replacement of expired or used devices and access to event data for medical follow up.
The subscription typically cost about $198 a year, although the price varied between retailers and was sometimes bundled with the device.
Subscription customers would see their devices replaced or upgraded when the end of two-year life of the battery and associated hardware approached.
Customers who bought devices or subscriptions before the liquidators were appointed will be treated as ordinary unsecured creditors.
Refunds may be possible for those who purchased after June 30, depending on how much money is recovered.
RRR International, founded in 2015, said it had sold about 23,000 CellAED units worldwide, including around 1,000 in the United Kingdom.
The company also claimed it employed 68 staff at its manufacturing and research facility in Eastwood in Sydney’s north.
Ambulance Victoria ran a three year trial of the devices with the company claiming the technology helped save at least one life during that period.
The trial concluded in March 2025, with Ambulance Victoria not adopting the devices for frontline crews.
The collapse leaves thousands of Australians unsure whether their devices will continue to be supported, and whether the subscription service they paid for will ever be delivered again.
Administrators Hall Chadwick were contacted for comment, but did not respond in time for deadline.
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Originally published as Maker of CellAED personal defibrillator collapses with debts of $32 million
