Indian Express
20 January 2011
New Delhi, India

As Free Emergency aid for Travellers, Dial to Install 20 Defibrillator Units Across Terminal 3
H EALTH experts say a majority of cardiac ar rest victims do not survive because emergency medical services are not made immediately available to them. A jolt from a defibrillator is known to be the most effective way to restore the normal rhythm of the heart, and save the patient.

To reassure travellers and provide them with immediate aid during emergencies of the kind, airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) is in the process of installing 20 automatic defibrillator units across Terminal-3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

"Of the 20 defibrillators, seven have already been installed across the terminal building, includ ing at information desks," a DIAL spokesperson said. Each machine costs Rs 1.5 lakh. Defibrillation is the process in which a device sends an elec tric shock to the heart to stop an arrhyth mia, resulting in the return of productive heart rhythm. The automatic defibrillators installed at the airport, provided by Philips, require minimal human intervention.

"In order to make these modern defibrillators user-friendly, verbal instructions are narrated in a step-by-step format to the heart patient. The `child key' is an added option available with every unit. This facilitates defibrillation for children less than eight years of age, and weighing below 25 kg," the spokesperson added.

"The installation of these machines at Terminal 3 has put IGIA in the same league as top international airports, including the ones at Dubai, Frankfurt and Sydney. The facility would be available to passengers free of cost," he said.