Medical equipment maker Opto Circuits today said it will supply 440 automated external defibrillators to a transit system in Chicago by end of this month.
Cardiac Science Corporation, a group firm of Opto Circuits, will supply Powerheart G3 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to all Chicago-area Metra commuter trains and other Metra facilities by the end of January, Opto Circuits (India) said in a statement.
External defibrillators are medical devices that diagnose life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms, or cardiac arrhythmia, and deliver electrical energy to the heart to restore its normal rhythm.
"Under terms of the agreement, Cardiac Science will deploy 440 AEDs in Metra passenger cars, work facilities, and police vehicles; Cardiac Science also donated 30 AEDs to Metra," it added.
Metra, which recorded nearly 82.7 million passenger trips in 2011, is now the second transit system in the US to deploy AEDs on all of its trains.
"We are honoured that Metra chose Cardiac Science to be the AED provider in its public access defibrillator (PAD) program," Cardiac Science president and chief executive officer Neal Long said.
Allowing passengers, workers, and emergency personnel with easy access to defibrillators will combat sudden cardiac arrest and save lives, he added.
