New Alternative to CPR

AutoPulse takes over the task of performing chest compressions in order to circulate blood to the heart and brain. The device can be rapidly deployed, adjusts the force of compressions automatically to each patient's weight and chest circumference, and applies a consistent depth and range of compressions.

There is general agreement that a system better than CPR is needed. Most CPR patients are elderly and the procedure works less than 10% of the time for them, according to Robert Shmerling, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA, USA). This can be due to the fact that a rescuer's hands may miss the correct location on a patient's chest. AutoPulse straps the patient into the device, enveloping the entire chest so that compressions hit the right location.

The AutoPulse is marketed by Zoll Medical Corp. (Chelmsford, MA, USA). The device was developed by Revivant Corp., which was acquired in 2004 by Zoll. According to Zoll, the device is often used along with manual CPR. The American Heart Association (AHA, Dallas, TX, USA) has categorized the device as a "reasonable” alternative to manual CPR, but has not recommended either system.

According to studies cited by Zoll, the AutoPulse has been shown to restore levels of blood flow to the heart and brain much better than CPR and to improve survival. At the price of U.S. $15,000 for the device, many emergency medical teams may feel they cannot afford it.




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