Dutch Ambulance Service First To Purchase ZOLL Integrated Automated Compression-Defibrillation System

Main Category: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Also Included In: Heart Disease;  Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 18 Jun 2009 - 8:00 PDT

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ZOLL Medical Corporation (Nasdaq GS: ZOLL), a manufacturer of resuscitation devices and related software solutions, announced that the ambulance service, RAV Gooi en Vechtstreek in Hilversum, The Netherlands, is the first EMS organization to equip its ambulances with a revolutionary new system that allows rescuers to defibrillate a heart without the need to stop chest compressions.

The real-time integrated operation of the new AutoPulse® Plus and the E Series® coordinates the ability to provide consistent, uninterrupted chest compressions with timed shock delivery. Integrating these two therapeutic interventions into a seamless rescue effort has long been viewed as critical to advancing resuscitation care. Stopping chest compressions during defibrillation results in a rapid fall in coronary perfusion pressure. Both the AutoPulse Plus and the E Series have the CE Mark; however, the new AutoPulse Plus does not yet have 510(k) FDA clearance in the U.S.

"Our evaluations of this integrated system demonstrated that we are able to maximize the likelihood of shock success and minimize no flow time," said Frank Berg, Manager of Operations of RAV Gooi en Vechtstreek. "This technological solution could be significant to improving outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest."

"Avoiding interruptions in defibrillation is among the highest priorities in resuscitation care. With timed shock delivery, which is the ability to deliver the treatment at the optimum time during the compression cycle without stopping CPR, another important step forward in improving survival from sudden cardiac arrest has been taken," said Jonathan A. Rennert, President of ZOLL.

Like the current AutoPulse, the new AutoPulse Plus helps provide the consistent, uninterrupted chest compressions called for by the European Resuscitation Council Guidelines. It 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 offers a significant advantage over manual CPR because it moves more blood, more consistently, than is possible with human hands. AutoPulse delivers high-quality, uninterrupted chest compressions to maintain myocardial and cerebral perfusion. It offers the benefit of freeing up rescuers to focus on other life-saving interventions, and keeps them safer by eliminating the need to conduct CPR while unrestrained in the back of a moving ambulance.

Over 4,000 AutoPulse units have been deployed in hospitals and emergency services worldwide.

The unmatched ruggedness of the E Series was designed by EMS professionals to meet the specific demands and extreme conditions that professional rescuers face every day. The E Series features ZOLL's unique See-Thru CPR® to filter out CPR artifact, allowing rescuers to see organized rhythms without interrupting chest compressions. Like all other ZOLL defibrillators, the E Series also provides Real CPR Help®, which improves CPR quality by providing real-time feedback on the rate and depth of chest compressions. The E Series also now offers a new, easy-to-use, wireless 12-lead transmission feature.

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 1 million lives each year. It is the leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning. Currently, only about 5 percent of victims survive; 95 percent will die from SCA.

Source
ZOLL Medical Corporation