An automated external defibrillator at the Xidan Station on Beijing Subway Line 4 on October 27 (XINHUA)

Beijing Subway has installed automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at 22 stations on its Line 1, its oldest line, and at five more stations with large passenger flows on Line 4, according to Beijing MTR Corporation Limited. By the end of this year, 104 stations on seven subway lines in the city will have the devices. The machines will be placed in prominent locations at the stations, with appropriate signage and detailed instructions for use.

The AEDs are portable, lifesaving devices designed to treat people experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. They can help the heart re-establish its normal beat by administering an electrical shock. People without a medical background can also use the devices after training. They are an effective tool for saving lives.

According to a report released by the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases in 2016, every year about 540,000 people die of sudden cardiac problems. But these devices can reduce the tragedies. Therefore their distribution in public places is a measure that will meet with social endorsement.

Beijing Subway said training would be provided to the staff to use the devices. By December 2022, more than 80 percent of the staff at Beijing's subway stations will be trained to use them. But since a heart attack victim generally requires assistance within four minutes, the authorities have asked more people to learn how to use the AED to save lives with prompt action.

In 2019, the State Council issued the Healthy China Initiative that asks people to learn lifesaving techniques in emergencies, such as a heart attack or near-drowning. Therefore, the authorities should accelerate the progress of promoting defibrillator training in schools and communities.

This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in Guancha.gmw.cn on October 28

(Print Edition Title: Lifesaving Defibrillators)