August 30, Kathmandu. Privately owned Himalayan Airlines, which operates international flights from Nepal, has now started services with Automated External Defibrillator (AED). According to the company, an automated external defibrillator is a life-saving machine that helps a patient’s heart rate to slow down when it suddenly stops or starts to slow down. Himalayan Airlines claims to be the only company in Nepal to start service with such a machine.
This machine has been installed in all the ships of Himalayan Airlines (three Airbus 320s and one Airbus 319) of Nepal-China joint venture. The machine is said to be helpful in making the company’s service safe, reliable and comfortable. An automated external defibrillator can be used to diagnose and prevent complications in the future when a ship is flying in mid-air, or if a passenger suffers from respiratory failure or cardiac arrest, the company said in a statement.
With the help of the machine, the heart, respiration and pulse rate can be restored by applying a kind of pressure on the heart of the patient if the heart rate of the passenger is stopped, pulse is stopped or he cannot breathe. For the past few weeks, all the flight attendants of Himalayan Airlines have been trained on the use of this machine.
In case of cardiac arrest during the flight, the patient has to make an emergency landing at the nearest airport for treatment. The company has also connected such machines to its head office and ground handling office at Tribhuvan International Airport to ensure the health and safety of all its employees.