Maui airport gets
automated defibrillator

The portable unit can save the
life of a heart attack victim

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By Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.com

KAHULUI >> State transportation officials have installed the first automated defibrillator -- a device that could save the life of someone suffering a heart attack -- in a public airport in Hawaii.

The pilot program, organized by the Hawaii Heart Association, was dedicated yesterday in the rotunda at Kahului Airport on Maui.

Heart Association official Milton Martin said the defibrillator, held in a case similar to a fire extinguisher's, is to be used in the event of an emergency by anyone trained in cardiac emergency resuscitation.

"There are thousands of people trained to use this," he said.

The portable unit, located near the escalator down to baggage claims, is marked with the universal sign for defibrillators: a lightning bolt through a heart.

Martin said someone taking out the defibrillator will automatically trigger 911 emergency call services.

He said outside of Hawaii, most major airports already have installed automated external defibrillators.

The defibrillators operate off an independent battery that is supposed to last for five years.

"There's absolutely no maintenance needed," Martin said.

Martin said Maui dentist Howard Shimokawa donated the defibrillator and cost of installation, worth about $4,000.

A plaque acknowledging Shimokawa's donation will be installed near the portable heart resuscitation unit, Martin said.

Anyone interested in donating a defibrillator is asked to call the Hawaii Heart Association or state airports administration office on their island.