Shanghai Deploys 8,200 AEDs, Most of Them in Residential Complexes

Shanghai has installed nearly 8,200 automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, this year, exceeding the 7,500-AED plan, according to the Shanghai Health Commission.

The local government plans to install 100 AEDs per 100,000 people by 2027, doubling the current rate.

AEDs are portable medical equipment that can analyze a person's heart rhythm and administer an electric shock to restart it following a sudden cardiac arrest, boosting chances of survival.

On a three-year schedule, AEDs will be installed in all residential complexes with over 1,000 residents this year, ensuring at least one in every residential venue, and in smaller complexes next year.

The government will improve the AED network and add machines in large residential areas in 2027.

It will equip more AEDs in public places to meet first aid demand and ensure proper distribution, in addition to targeting residential complexes.

"Our team works with the local Red Cross and grassroots government to train residents, property management staff, volunteers, and public venue staff in first aid, in addition to installing AED machines," said Wu Wenhui from the Shanghai Health Commission.

"We've trained over 83,000 people on AED use this year."

He said local health authorities are developing an AED management platform to unify citywide AED management. Future versions of Suishenban 随申办, the government-run app, will include a digital map of all AEDs, allowing locals to check nearby ones.

The local Red Cross offers bilingual courses for expats. He advised expatriates to consult their district Red Cross for AED and first aid training.

There are 28,000 heart attacks reported outside hospitals each year, 70 percent of which occur in residential complexes.

The user-friendly AEDs can automatically detect a heart rhythm and deliver a shock if needed. Defibrillating within the "golden four minutes," the best time for first aid, can increase the rescue rate because the brain will be irreparably damaged if the patients survive.