The individual responsible for procuring supplies for the hospital, ward, unit, clinic, office or other medical facility often has a huge job on his or her hands. For most individuals that take on this role there is an established supplier and order method already used with the facility. The problem with using the status quo for ordering things like defibrillator paper is that you may be ordered materials that are not as high a quality as other suppliers sell but more importantly you may be ordering materials that are way more costly. Recent trends in developing large online medical supply outlets and specialty medical paper suppliers have really added to the consumer's options in making small and large purchases. Shopping around online can provide you with different discounts or preferred customer options that may dramatically decrease your budget requirement for paper and other equipment supplies. You can also combine your paper shipment with other medical equipment, making inventory management and control much easier and much more structured. What are the differences between specific brands or manufacturer's recommendation for defibrillator paper? It is very important to only use the defibrillator paper recommended by the defibrillator manufacturer. Some manufacturers provide a range of paper suppliers while others may be very brand specific. Staying with the specifically recommended paper is important for two different reasons. First, the machine is calibrated with regards to speed of feed and rate of movement of the paper based on a particular paper specification. Changing paper, even to a comparable generic or alternate brand, may impact the feed of the paper leading to a variation in results. In addition to the actually specifications of the paper with regards to feeding through the defibrillator there is also an issue with the tracer. Specific papers are designed to allow the tracer to move smoothly and accurately across the paper's surface. Different paper manufacturers may use slightly different materials in the paper composition, possibly causing issues with the tracer markings and recordings Can I use an alternate brand of defibrillator paper in my machine if it seems to look the same and has the same physical measurements? Since there are different types of defibrillator paper on the market there is always some confusion about how interchangeable it may be. While you may not have to stay specifically with a brand name, you do have to check that the specific paper you are considering is approved for use with your equipment. Typically this information is found both on the paper distributors website as well as in information on the particular make and model of defibrillator. Many medical paper supply companies also sell a "universal" or "generic" type of defibrillator paper. Again, if this is indicated as acceptable for your specific machine it can be an option to consider. However, care does need to be exercised in using these types of paper as it can impact the tracer and the actual recordings, so only use that which is known, trusted and approved.