The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation today installed Powerheart Automated External Defibrillator (AED) at its two biggest interchange stations i.e, Central Secretariat and Kashmere Gate Metro stations which will be of immense use to help save life of a person suffering sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). These reliable, accessible and easy to use AEDs will be of great use particularly, for a crowded station in a medical emergency if a commuter suffers a sudden cardiac arrest. As the heart stops functioning in such a case and without cardiopulmonary resuscitation from someone, brain damage or death can occur in just four to six minutes. The most effective emergency treatment for SCA is use of public access defibrillation or AEDs to resuscitate a victim’s heart until proper medical help arrives. These AEDs send an electric shock to the heart and allow it to return to a normal rhythm. AEDs can be used...
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even by non-medical personnel. The installation of these AEDs will be followed by certified training for a group of core staff members of DMRC. This is the first time that an AED is being installed in Metro premises to protect its commuters against death from sudden cardiac arrest. With an AED in vicinity, millions of commuters who will pass these stations every year can be assured that they are in a heart safe environment. These Powerheart AEDs were presented to DMRC by Opto Circuits (India) Limited at a ceremony organized at Central Secretariat Metro station today. With the installation of these Powerheart AEDs, Delhi Metro has now joined the league of several high traffic, mass-transit environments like those available in developed countries such as USA, England, Japan etc. where public access AEDs are widely installed. Presently, Delhi Metro carries over 1.8 million passengers every day and average footfall of Central Secretariat and Kashmere Gate Metro stations itself is 2 lakh and 3 lakh respectively. AD/CPRO/DMRC About Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) An estimated 40 million Indians suffer from at least one cardiovascular disease or disorder, making them susceptible to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Most people who are struck by SCA succumb to it— often within minutes. Defibrillation systems such as AEDs enable the detection and identification of life-threatening arrhythmias and when appropriate, deliver a shock to restore the normal heartbeat. Surviving SCA is linked directly to the amount of time between the onset of SCA and a defibrillation shock. Following SCA, every minute without a defibrillation shock decreases chance of survival by approximately 10% - precisely why AEDs are a must not just in hospitals but also in offices, schools, restaurants, malls, airports, libraries –just about any place someone could suffer from sudden cardiac arrest. AEDs can be used by bystanders to save the lives of SCA victims.