Madrid-Barajas Airport Deploys 65 Defibtech Defibrillators
Within Alarmed Heart Rescue Stations

MADRID, SPAIN - May 29, 2009 - The Madrid-Barajas Airport has deployed 65 Defibtech Lifeline® automated external defibrillators (AEDs) within alarmed heart rescue stations that notify airport management when medical emergencies require an AED. Defibrillators can save victims of sudden cardiac arrest, a leading cause of death in Europe.

Defibtech distributor Diagniscan coordinated the deployment in each of the airport’s four terminals and is responsible for maintaining the AEDs, said Defibtech vice president Gianfranco Buchbinder. More than 300 non-medical airport staff members have completed a 10-hour training course accredited by the Spanish Emergency Medicine Society in how to use the AEDs and provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on sudden cardiac arrest victims, he added.

“As Europe’s fourth largest airport, Madrid-Barajas serves 190,000 passengers a day,” Buchbinder said. “Places where large numbers of people gather are the best places to put defibrillators to save sudden cardiac arrest victims. Airports especially have been the scenes of many life saves.” For example, 36 lives were saved in Chicago airports between 2000 and 2006, and the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport reported 20 life saves using AEDs between 2000 and 2008. AED life saves also have occurred in airports in Atlanta, Detroit, Dublin, Hawaii and San Diego, according to news reports.

Extremely easy to use, Defibtech AEDs have audible voice prompts that literally speak instructions to users, guiding them in rescues, Buchbinder said. In addition, each time a defibrillator is used at Madrid-Barajas, the rescue station will automatically send an alarm to the airport management center to send additional medical assistance to the rescue area.

Buchbinder said Defibtech is working to deploy Lifeline® AEDs in several other airports and public transportation hubs throughout the world.

About Defibtech

Defibtech relentlessly pursues one goal: making the best AEDs in the world at affordable prices. Defibtech designs and manufactures the Defibtech™ AEDs which include the Lifeline™ and ReviveR™ models. Defibtech’s products are sold through its network of distribution partners in the United States and around the world. Defibtech is headquartered in Guilford, Conn., and manufactures all of its defibrillators in the United States in a state-of-the-art ISO 13485:2003 certified facility. For more information about Defibtech and its products, visit www.defibtech.com or call 1-866-DEFIB-4-U (1-866-333-4248).