New program adds lifesaving AEDs to public buses, provides drivers CPR training

In a groundbreaking initiative to enhance public safety, 15 LYNX LYMMO buses across downtown Orlando are now equipped with automated external defibrillators, more commonly known as AEDs.

AdventHealth collaborated with the American Heart Association and the city of Orlando for the initiative, which aims to increase the accessibility and use of AEDs in public spaces.

This is the first initiative to place AEDs on buses in Orlando and one of the first times the technology has been implemented on public transit in the United States.

"We're making AEDs more accessible to the greater public and essentially creating more first-responders who can save lives."

Through the initiative, new LYNX LYMMO bus operators are also being trained in hands-only CPR.

"The wellbeing of the Central Florida community is at the heart of everything we do at AdventHealth," said Patricia Guerrero, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist at AdventHealth. "AEDs and CPR are a person's best chance of survival in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest. And with this initiative, we're making AEDs more accessible to the greater public and essentially creating more first-responders who can save lives."

The lightweight, portable devices deliver an electric shock to the heart when they detect an abnormal rhythm.

They use audio and visual prompts to guide the user through the process so that no prior training is required.

"Having quick access to an AED ... is crucial in the event of a cardiac arrest -- doubling or even tripling a person's chance of survival," said Jimmy Clarity, vice president of community impact for the American Heart Association in Orlando. "Statistics show that of the people who receive a shock from an AED within the first minute of cardiac arrest, nine out of 10 survive."