Calls for public defibrillators increase after man's heart attack death on train

BOSTON (AP) -- A man's deadly heart attack on a train has become the latest rallying point of people who advocate putting more portable defibrillators in public places.

James Allen went into cardiac arrest last week and had to wait for proper medical attention while the train made two more regular stops. Medical experts said his chances of survival were slim without access to a portable defibrillator.

"This should be a wake-up call," said Dr. Steven G. Miller, American Heart Association.

Defibrillators are required on airliners and in public places such as sports stadiums and large office buildings. But many places don't have them because of cost, liability fears or concerns that not enough people know how to use them.

Advocates for wider use of the lifesaving machines hope falling prices and cases like Allen's will cause more places to install them.

Allen's sister, Jeanne Peterson of Eau Claire, Wis., raised the issue soon after her brother's death.

"Jim was a very logical person, a patient, down-to-earth thinker," she said. "I have to think the logic here means training in CPR and defibrillators."