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Clinton wants planes
to carry heart devices Posted
5-29-2000 Washington. President Clinton announced plans last week to require U.S. airlines to carry devices that treat heart attack victims with a jolt of electricity. The proposed Federal Aviation Administration rule will require airlines to carry the devices on all domestic and international flights. It also would require training for flight attendants on using the machines and on cardiopulmonary resuscitation. More than 20,000 lives would be saved annually if the devices, called automated external defibrillators (AED), were installed in planes, federal buildings and other key locations, Clinton said. "I expect there are very few people listening today who don’t know someone who has been struck down by sudden cardiac arrest," he said. "With this new technology, we have the ability to turn around the odds. We can give average citizens the power to restart a heart and save a life." About 250,000 people die each year from sudden cardiac arrest – more than 600 a day. AEDs are about the same size as a laptop computer and cost about $3,500. They automatically analyze heart rhythms and deliver a shock to restart a heart, using voice commands to lead the rescuer through each step. The shock is delivered only if necessary. There is a growing push to place the devices in public places to save more lives. After the devices were put in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, nine out of 11 people who went into cardiac arrest were saved. The American Heart Association applauded the announcement, as did American Airlines, which in July 1997 became the first U.S. carrier to put defibrillators on board its planes. Americans Airlines said the devices have saved the lives of 11 passengers. After a four-month public comment period, the FAA plans to issue a decision by the end of the year.
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