We'll be working with American Airlines to see what their experience is with having the defibrillators on board and how often they're used and things of that nature. Fort Worth-based American Airlines has purchased 300 ForeRunner automatic external defibrillators from Heartstream Inc. in Seattle. The lithium battery-operated devices received FDA approval in September 1996. The devices require only a few hours of training to use properly. The disposable electrodes have printed diagrams showing where they should be placed.
Spoken instructions guide the user through each step of the defibrillation process.
More than 2,300 American Airline flight attendants will receive training to use the devices. The American Heart Association estimates that 100,000 people annually would survive sudden cardiac arrest if automatic external defibrillators were available in aircraft and other public places such as office buildings and stadiums.