Operation Stay'n Alive is saving lives at Hawaii's airports but it could save more if more people knew how to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation, says coordinator Pam Foster, president of the AED Institute.

The 2-year-old program is named for the Bee Gees' 1977 hit song “;Stayin' Alive.”;

Foster said Dr. Alson Inaba, pediatric emergency physician at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, “;brought to light the idea that 'Stayin' Alive' has 100 beats a minute,”; the CPR compression rate.

Foster said the program was named Operation Stay'n Alive in Inaba's honor. “;That's exactly what we're doing. Our mission is to keep people alive.”;

She said an average of six to nine cardiac arrests occur annually within the statewide airport system.

Before the airports got portable defibrillators, the average survival rate over 20 years was close to the national average of 1 to 5 percent, she said. “;We really never saved anybody.”;

Two years ago, 100 automated external defibrillators were installed at 10 airports on six islands and 1,700 people have been trained to use them, she said.

Twelve cardiac arrests have occurred since the defibrillators were installed, mostly at Honolulu Airport but also at airports in Kalaupapa, Kahului, Hilo and Kona, Foster said. Of those cases, at least five - or more than 40 percent - recovered thanks to the machines.

Bystanders did CPR in seven cases and the victims were taken to the hospital, she said. “;Five have gone back to their lifestyle before cardiac arrest.”; The other two cases occurred this month, one in Kona and one in Hilo.

“;Both survived to get to the hospital because of bystander CPR,”; Foster said. “;But they passed away because of other medical problems.”;

In the other five cases, people called 911, then waited for a professional responder to arrive, she said.

She said Brian Eatmon, 44, a cook at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. at Ala Moana Center, is a recent survivor because of fast action by a co-worker.

He suffered cardiac arrest July 10 and Erin Boland, a server and nursing student, did CPR, sent a co-worker for an AED (automated external defibrillator) on the fourth floor, then shocked Eatmon with the defibrillator and restored his normal heart beat before rescuers arrived.

The life-saving incident was celebrated recently with a free CPR/AED class in the mall by Bubba Gumps.

The AED Institute teaches CPR classes the first and third Thursday of every month from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in the interisland terminal's seventh floor conference center. All classes are free but people are asked to call and sign up.