LEXINGTON, Ky. — City leaders will announce plans Monday to map automated external defibrillators across Lexington and Fayette County, making the life-saving devices instantly visible to emergency dispatchers and the public during cardiac emergencies.

Mayor Linda Gorton will headline the 10 a.m. news conference at Fire Station #1, joining Cardiac Crusade Lexington representatives, UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute Director Dr. Vedant Gupta, Fire Department Assistant Chief Chad Traylor, and officials from the American Heart Association and the Lexington Division of Enhanced 911.

The "Restart a Heart: Lexington" initiative aims to map over 1,000 AEDs on the PulsePoint database, a system accessible to both emergency services and the public. The effort has received endorsement from Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

The initiative grew from Sarah Katzenmaier's survival of sudden cardiac arrest during Lexington's 2021 Thriller Parade. At the time, Lexington had only 4 verified AEDs on the map, though that number has grown to over 150 through volunteer efforts.

"CPR buys time, but AEDs restore life," organizers said in a statement about the campaign. "Mapping these devices empowers everyday citizens to step up as a community safety net."

Research shows nine out of ten cardiac arrest victims who receive a shock from an AED in the first minute will survive. In communities where Cardiac Crusade has established groups, such as Boston and Buffalo, survival rates of sudden cardiac arrest have risen from less than 10% to more than 60%.

Community members can help by downloading the PulsePoint AED app, identifying AED locations, and completing free online training to become a certified verifier. The city is seeking volunteer "Cardiac Cats" to map devices across the Bluegrass Region.