Shanghai metro equipped with AEDs

All metro stations in Shanghai will be equipped with AEDs (automated external defibrillators) within this year and each station will have at least one worker adept in the use of the device, the city's metro operator said.

A total of 500 AEDs will be deployed to cover the entire metro network in the city.

Shanghai currently has a metro network spanning 770 km - the longest in the world - with 460 stations. The construction of another 61 km is expected to be completed within this year.

AEDs are seen as an efficient way to save lives if used within four minutes of a cardiac arrest before brain cells are permanently damaged due to a lack of oxygen.

The move to introduce the device to metro stations is aligned with the country's principle of putting people and their lives first, according to Shanghai Shentong, the city's metro operator.

A 2019 survey by China's National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases showed that an estimated 550,000 Chinese people suffer sudden cardiac deaths each year, and that an average of 1,500 individuals die from cardiac arrest every day.

Li Yange contributed to this story.