Stockholm Arlanda the first heart-safe airport in the Nordic countries

Stockholm Arlanda Airport has now installed 31 defibrillators and trained its staff in cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). As a result, Stockholm Arlanda is the first Nordic airport to become a eart-safe Heart-Safe Zone.
“Our aim is to be on the scene with a defibrillator within three minutes of being alerted that someone is in cardiac arrest,” says Jörgen Jernström, rescue officer at the Arlanda Rescue Service.

Each year, there are a number of cases of cardiac arrest in conjunction with flights to and from Swedavia’s ten airports. All airports are equipped with defibrillators and trained staff. As a result, lives are saved each year at some of these airports.

31 defibrillators at Stockholm Arlanda

An average of about 60,000 passengers pass through Stockholm Arlanda Airport each day. Last year, there were five cases of cardiac arrest at Stockholm Arlanda in which defibrillators were used. To further increase safety, the airport has now installed 31 defibrillators in public areas.

As a result, Stockholm Arlanda has been designated the first Nordic airport with a Heart-Safe Zone in accordance with the Swedish Standards Institute (SIS), which represents Sweden in the European standards organisation CEN its global counterpart, ISO. The standards are quality-assured and were developed in partnership with organisations including the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation and the Swedish Resuscitation Council.

“Passengers at our airports should feel safe even if there is a medical emergency. We now have defibrillators located all around Stockholm Arlanda, within at most a three-minute walk, so wherever you are, you will be able to get a defibrillator within a minute and a half and return to the person afflicted. Our staff are trained in CPR and can work a defibrillator,” Mr Jernström says.

Change of survival increases 75 per cent

Every year, 10,000 Swedes suffer from cardiac arrest outside a hospital, but only 550 survive. Each minute is crucial in a case of cardiac arrest. With the help of early CPR and a defibrillator within three minutes, the chance of survival increases 75 per cent.

So it is important that the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation and Stockholm Arlanda have taken a stand for safer airport environments.

“When someone undergoes cardiac arrest, it is vital to know what we can do and how we should act. Above all, it is important to have quick access to a defibrillator. It is gratifying that Swedavia takes cardiac arrest seriously and is making Stockholm Arlanda a safer place for thousands of passengers,” says Kristina Sparreljung, secretary-general of the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.

Stockholm Arlanda will demonstrate cardio pulmonary resuscitation skills at the airport on Friday, February 12, and Valentine’s Day, Sunday, February 14, in Sky City between Terminals 4 and 5. Passengers and the general public will be given information and the opportunity to train their CPR skills.

Rescue staff in partnership with the Swedish Red Cross will also demonstrate how the heart and lungs function. The goal is to make all ten Swedavia airports Heart-Safe Zones.

The Picture: Stockholm Arlanda nurse Kristina Nilsson informs passengers and employees about CPR in SkyCity at Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Stockholm Arlanda was the 12:th of Februrary designated the first Nordic airport in the Heart-Safe Zone. In the background, rescue officer Jörgen Jernström gives instructions on CPR. Photo: Victoria Ström