Data showed that 54 people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) had been brought back to life using automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places in Shenzhen as of July 31 this year, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.
AED is a portable and easy-to-use device, with which even bystanders can help save lives while waiting for emergency medical services.
SCA kills about 1,500 people every day in China, 90% of whom suddenly collapse outside of hospitals, according to the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases.
It takes just four minutes for brain cells to be permanently damaged due to a severe lack of oxygen in SCA cases. In the early minutes of cardiac arrest, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or using an AED before medics arrive can increase the rescues’ success rate, Shenzhen Center for Prehospital Care said.
Shenzhen, as an AED demonstration city, started installing these medical devices in public places in 2017. By the end of last year, there had been 14,158 AEDs available to the public across the city, with an average of 80 units per 100,000 people, ranking first in the country.
“Such a large number of AEDs will support medical workers, but also encourage citizens to participate in first aid,” Zhou Qiang, the director of the center, said.
Zhou has a habit of checking how AEDs are installed in airports and train stations on business trips.
“Some devices had to be taken out by scanning a QR code or by breaking a glass cover,” Zhou told the reporter. “How could we waste time on such things in emergencies?”
He thus proposed that AED cabinets in Shenzhen should be available to use after their security seals are torn off. The AEDs are also equipped with alarms and electric fences to prevent theft.
In the meantime, the center launched first-aid training classes targeting the public, teaching nonprofessionals to use AEDs step by step.
Since 2017, the center has been organizing regular free training sessions. Zheng Yonghui, one of the coaches, said that the session’s quota would be filled in seconds, as residents’ awareness of emergency treatment has increased.
In addition, Shenzhen’s pioneering position in AEDs has everything to do with its high-tech enterprises’ R&D achievements.
As a testament to this, Mindray, the Nanshan-headquartered medical equipment supplier, created China’s first self-developed biphasic defibrillator/monitor in 2009.
Mindray’s AED is easy to operate and features hardcore technologies, topping the country by market share. These have also been exported to European countries such as the U.K., France, the Netherlands and Italy.