53.7 F
San Diego
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
-Advertisement-

Health Care—Lindbergh Field to adopt life-saving equipment

The successful adoption of life-saving automated external defibrillators (AED) by Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports has convinced Lindbergh Field officials to follow suit.

By March 2001, San Diego’s airport will have seven AEDs stationed throughout airport terminals with the intent of boosting survival rates for victims of cardiac arrest. Five Harbor Police cars stationed at the airport will also be equipped with the AED devices.

The AED can provide an automated electrical shock to restart the heart of a cardiac arrest victim. The device monitors the heart function and tells the operator when to push a button to deliver a powerful shock to restart the heart.

The machine is designed to fire only when the heart is in cardiac arrest , a condition that arises from a medical malfunction of the heart called ventricular fibrillation.

In San Diego, a total of 115 law enforcement officers will be the first airport employees to receive training in the use of AEDs, said Danette Lake, manager of terminal operations at Lindbergh Field.

A one-time sum of $40,000 has been budgeted to buy, install and train airport employees in using AEDs, she added.

According to statistics from Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports , which adopted 49 AEDs in June 1999 , the chances of a cardiac arrest victim being saved by an AED-trained traveler passing by is significantly higher than by trained airport personnel.

From June 1999 through April 2000, 14 sudden cardiac arrests occurred at both airports. Medically-trained travelers revived nine people using the AEDs mounted on airport walls, according to a report issued by the American Heart Association.

“They included pilots, flight attendants, and other medical personnel who happened to be in or immediately around the vicinity,” said Dr. James Dunford, emergency medical services director for the city of San Diego

Lindbergh Field officials are anticipating success with AEDs, too.

“It’s becoming an industry norm,” said Lake.

Airports in San Jose and San Francisco were the first airports in Calfornia to adopt AEDs.

In San Diego, travelers will soon see four AEDs mounted on the walls in Terminal 1; two units in Terminal 2; and one machine in the commuter terminal. A bill introduced Sept. 27 by U.S. Rep. William O. Lipinski, D-Illinois, would require AEDs in terminals at certain airports. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Lake said the proposed legislation did not prompt local airport officials to buy AEDs at this time. Rather, the decision was based on San Diego’s aging population , the predominant age group to suffer a cardiac arrest.

Each year, about a dozen travelers suffer sudden cardiac arrest at Lindbergh Field, said Lake.

Medical professionals say that for each minute that passes without an AED, the survival rate goes down by 10 percent.

In California, a bill authored by state Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Hayward, and signed into law last year by Gov. Gray Davis, expands “Good Samaritan” legal protections to AED users.

A federal bill signed into law last month by President Bill Clinton expands the same protection to a number of states.

Dunford said he’s excited about the airport being first to partner with the city’s 911 system.

Dunford, who will be overseeing the airport’s AED system as medical director, already confirmed he will approve Lake’s proposal to adopt AEDs. Lake said she will submit the proposal to Dunford next month.

The plan calls for all AEDs to be linked to the airport’s security system, Lake said. Once AED’s wall-mounted case is opened, an alarm will sound and a signal dispatched to all police and paramedics units.

Dunford said O’Hare and Midway airports’ aim to have an AED accessible within three minutes of an incident has shown success.

He wants to follow the example of other cities by expanding AED units into businesses, federal buildings and other public places.

One year’s worth of AED data derived from the airport will set the stage for further implementation elsewhere, he said.

Meanwhile, Lake said she is still comparing prices of AED units.

The average cost for a machine is $3,000, according to the Heart Association, which agreed to donate six AEDs to the local airport.

A six-hour course to train people in AED use costs about $50 at the Heart Association, Lake said. Police officers trained in CPR still need about four hours to successfully operate the machine, she said.

Coordinating classes for many of the airports’ approximately 7,000 workers is tricky, Lake said.

“Training is cumbersome, but once you get things rolling it becomes a little easier,” she said. Police officers and 22 paramedics are first in line, followed by the concession stand workers, and ticket and gate agents, she said.

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

Oberon Eyes Europe for Renewable DME

Leaders of Influence in Law 2024

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-