Councilman Wants Heart Machines in Public Places

Los Angeles City Councilman Rudy Svorinich proposed a motion Tuesday calling for easy-to-use heart defibrillators to be placed at public facilities throughout the city.

During cardiac arrest, defibrillators are used to send small electric shocks to the chest to get the heart beating. Svorinich said recent studies showed that use of defibrillators could increase heart attack survival rates by close to 50%.

Svorinich said the defibrillators cost about $3,000 each, and that he would like to see thousands of the devices placed throughout the city.

Svorinich’s plan calls for city workers--everyone from train ticket-takers to security guards--to get at least four hours of training in how to use the defibrillators before paramedics arrive.