May 30, 2012 - Chariton County Ambulance Saves Two Sudden Cardiac Arrest Victims in One Day Using the ZOLL AutoPulse
MEDIA CONTACT: |
Diane Egan |
CHARITON COUNTY AMBULANCE SAVES TWO SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST VICTIMS IN ONE DAY USING THE ZOLL AUTOPULSE
Automated CPR Device Delivers Uninterrupted, Consistent Chest Compressions During Long Transport
May 30, 2012—CHELMSFORD, MASS.—ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that Chariton County Ambulance District in Salisbury, Missouri, successfully revived two people from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) the same day, using the ZOLL AutoPulse® Non-invasive Cardiac Support Pump.
According to William Pearman, Superintendent of the Chariton County Ambulance District, the two emergency codes came a few hours apart on the morning of March 12. In each case, the AutoPulse provided consistent, uninterrupted, high-quality chest compressions on the patients as they were transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital some 30 minutes away.
Pearman attributes each patient’s survival to the significant role the AutoPulse played in providing improved blood flow to the heart and brain prior to their arrival at the hospital. “The AutoPulse is our best asset in providing proper CPR. We can’t sustain the same quality of chest compressions with manual CPR that the AutoPulse provides. The AutoPulse provides great results in getting the blood pressure back and the pulse going in cardiac arrest patients,” he said. He added that one of the patients had a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) within 15 minutes and was talking to paramedics enroute to the hospital.
Chariton County Ambulance, which serves a rural area of about 800 square miles in central Missouri, installed three AutoPulse units on its primary trucks three years ago. The service believes the device enables their responders to deliver high-quality CPR because of its ability to consistently deliver the proper depth and rate of chest compressions, especially during long transports.
Both victims today are back home with their families and resuming daily life. One of them, Sunday school teacher Lynette Fifield, 64, who collapsed at home that morning, has visited the ambulance company to see the AutoPulse for herself.
“I don’t believe in luck, but I was dead when I left home that day and now I’m here talking. It was the knowledge of Bill and his crew using the AutoPulse technology that brought me back,” she said. Fifield and her husband, Ronald, will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this September.
The second victim, Ed Hubbard, 56, a married father of four and grandfather of six, said he had no known heart problems prior to that day. He was at work as a construction laborer when he collapsed. Co-workers called 911 and started CPR prior to the paramedics’ arrival.
“From what I understand, the AutoPulse saved me and I’m blessed to have this team of first responders in town,” Hubbard said. He’s waiting to be cleared to go back to work and plans to take CPR classes at Chariton County Ambulance the next time they are offered.
About the AutoPulse
The AutoPulse Non-invasive Cardiac Support Pump is an automated, portable device with an easy-to-use, load-distributing LifeBand® that squeezes the entire chest, improving blood flow to the heart and brain during sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The AutoPulse may offer a significant advantage over manual CPR, moving blood more consistently than human providers. AutoPulse delivers high-quality, uninterrupted chest compressions to maintain myocardial and cerebral perfusion. Additionally, it offers the benefit of freeing up clinicians and rescuers to focus on other life-saving interventions.
Nearly 6,000 AutoPulse devices are in use in hospitals and emergency service organizations worldwide.
About Sudden Cardiac Arrest
SCA, an abrupt disruption of the heart’s function, which causes a lack of blood flow to vital organs, claims more than one million lives globally each year. It is the leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning. Survival is poor in most communities at less than eight percent and improvements in resuscitation practices could save as many as half of these victims.
About ZOLL Medical Corporation
ZOLL Medical Corporation, an Asahi Kasei Group company, develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and monitoring, circulation and CPR feedback, data management, fluid resuscitation, and therapeutic temperature management, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, and lay rescuers treat victims needing resuscitation and critical care. For more information, visit www.zoll.com.
About Asahi Kasei
The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the chemicals and fibers, homes and construction materials, electronics, and health care business sectors. Its health care operations include devices and systems for critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals, diagnostic reagents, and nutritional products. With more than 25,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/.
Copyright © 2012 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. AutoPulse, LifeBand, and ZOLL are registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All product names are the property of their respective owners.