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For Immediate Release
August 22 2006
New Lifesaving Device Only at Mercy
Oklahoma City—Thanks to new lifesaving technology,
critically ill patients at Mercy Health Center have a much better chance
of survival if they suffer a sudden cardiac arrest. ZOLL Medical’s
AutoPulse performs chest compressions at a rate that nearly mimics the
body’s own rhythm, creating better blood flow to the brain and heart.
“This technology can do chest compressions that we
as humans can’t possibly do,” said Sandie Rowe, nurse manager of Mercy’s
Intensive Care Unit. “Manual CPR, while good, is oftentimes just not
enough. Even someone very experienced in doing chest compressions can
only provide 30 to 40 percent of normal blood flow to the brain and only
about 10 to 20 percent of normal blood flow to the heart. Once a person
is in cardiac arrest, every minute counts to get the heart beating
normally again. For every minute that passes, the chance of survival
decreases by 10 percent, and after 10 minutes, survival is unlikely.”
Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of
unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning. Of those who
suffer from a sudden cardiac arrest, 95 percent die. AutoPulse, an
FDA-approved device that generates consistent chest compressions, moves
blood more effectively than any other method used today in Oklahoma.
The portable device, which includes a backboard and
band that fastens across a patient’s chest, automatically calculates a
patient’s shape and size for maximum compression/decompression benefit.
“It won’t save every patient that has a sudden
cardiac arrest but it gives our patients the best chance of survival,”
said Rowe. “And because it’s portable, we can respond to any area of the
hospital.”
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