East End residents will be reassured to know that a piece of life-saving medical equipment is now housed far closer to them than ever before.

The St. John Ambulance Brigade recently purchased an automated external defibrillator (AED) for the Bermuda Perfumery in Bailey's Bay, Hamilton Parish.

And five members of staff there are now trained in its use and can also administer cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Bermuda Perfumery proprietor and St. John Ambulance Brigade chairman Colin Curtis told The Royal Gazette yesterday that the AED restarted a non-beating heart using electric shock.

He added that its effectiveness decreased the longer it took for it to be administered so having the portable machines at various locations around the Island would mean having one close by if someone suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.

"The AED machine administers an electric shock to the heart so that a heart which has been arrested or is in fibrillation and is therefore no longer pumping blood to the brain can be restarted and resume pumping life-saving oxygen to the brain via the bloodstream,'' said Mr. Curtis.

Because the brain needs oxygen-rich blood to thrive, time is crucial. For every minute the patient remains unconscious, survival rates drop significantly.

"If it is administered within two or three minutes of the heart stopping then the survival rate is about 86 percent, within four to five minutes 46 percent and after eight minutes it is about 15 percent,'' said Mr. Curtis.

"Therefore the immediate availability of the machines around the Island is vital. St. John and the Red Cross are very interested in getting the machines into as many places as possible around the Island.'' Mr. Curtis said he was keen to encourage a partnership between the private and public sectors and Government in a bid to make the dream a life-saving reality.

Each machine costs about $4,000 and are so simple to use that "a young child can operate it'', said Mr. Curtis, as they even give voice instructions. Mr.

Curtis and four of his perfumery staff have undergone the necessary training to be come accredited in the use of the machine and in administering CPR.

The devices are similar to defibrillators seen in hospitals. Once the two patches are properly attached to the patient's chest, the machine automatically analyses the heartbeat to determine whether the patient is experiencing ventricular fibrillation.

If this is the case, the machine warns the operator to stay clear of the patient and then push a button to activate the shocking cycle. After the electrical jolt is delivered, the machine analyses the heartbeat again and if it senses an abnormal rhythm, it recharges and repeats the shocking cycle.

If Bermuda were to take up the idea and deploy the machines across the Island, it would be following in the footsteps of other places around the globe.

Most recently, the downtown area of St. Paul, Minnesota, deployed one of the machines in each of 80 or so buildings and a group of employees in each of those buildings was trained in their use.