Administrative Office of the United States Courts Deploys Agilent Technologies' Portable Defibrillators in Federal Courts.

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PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--March 19, 2001

Agency to Equip Federal Courts with 500 Agilent Heartstream FR2

AEDs to Help Increase Survival from Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) announced today that the Administrative Office of the United States Courts has purchased 500 Heartstream AEDs for deployment to its national court system. The Agency will place AEDs in federal courts nationwide to enable delivery of timely defibrillation therapy to victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). SCA is a leading cause of death in the United States, striking approximately 350,000 Americans annually.

The Casualty Care Research Center of the Uniformed Services University provides medical oversight for the program and has trained 220 employees of the U.S. Marshals Service, which was commissioned to train court employees in the proper use of AEDs. The Agency expects to complete AED deployment and training by the end of 2001.

The Heartstream AED will be used to apply defibrillation therapy, or an electrical shock to the heart, to SCA victims. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the U.S. survival rate from SCA is five percent, largely because life-saving defibrillation -- the definitive treatment for SCA -- does not reach victims in time. The deployment of AEDs throughout the federal court system will dramatically decrease the time it takes to reach victims.

"The Automated External Defibrillator Program is part of our larger effort to make courthouses safer places to work and visit," said Administrative Office Director Leonidas Ralph Mecham. "If a cardiac situation arises, we now are better equipped to handle it. These defibrillators should make court visitors and employees feel more at ease."

"Several of the nation's leading employers, airlines and airports, and now federal agencies are taking proactive steps in the fight against sudden cardiac arrest," said Deborah DiSanzo, general manager of Agilent's Cardiac Resuscitation Solutions Division. "SCA can strike anyone, anywhere, at any time, often without warning. The broad deployment of AEDs is expected to increase SCA survival rates by making lifesaving therapy available to trained responders who are first to arrive at the scene of an emergency. The United States Courts' initiative is a powerful step toward fighting one of the nation's leading killers."

The Heartstream FR2 AED is a breakthrough in defibrillation technology that makes it practical for broad groups of emergency first responders (emergency medical technicians, fire-department personnel, police officers, security guards, flight attendants and other authorized first responders) to deliver time-critical defibrillation therapy to victims of SCA. The Heartstream AED is the only FDA-cleared AED with low-energy SMART Biphasic technology. It was designed specifically to make the implementation of early-response programs practical in communities, industrial settings, and other public and private facilities.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and healthcare. With 48,000 employees serving customers in more than 120 countries, Agilent had net revenue of $10.8 billion in fiscal year 2000. Information about Agilent can be found on the Web at www.agilent.com.