Device could boost resus survival
Wednesday January 19th, 2011
A mechanical device could dramatically improve survival rates of patients who get on-the-spot treatment for heart attack, researchers reported today.
The
device, tested in the USA, aims to reduce the "inherent inefficiency"
of standard resuscitation techniques.
The latest research, in The Lancet, suggests the new technique can improve survival rates by half.
It uses one hand-held device to compress and decompress the chest, using a small suction cup to help lift the chest upwards. A second device is attached to the face using a mask or breathing tube - and prevents air rushing into the lungs when the chest is lifted.
Researchers said this improved the blood flow to the brain and heart by three times.
The first aider is still expected to give a breath to the patient every ten compressions.
A study in Wisconsin, USA, involved some 1,600 patients, half of whom had standard resuscitation and the other half were treated with the new device.
Researcher Dr Tom Aufderheide, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, writes: "For the first time, we have shown that a new method of CPR increases hospital-discharge rates and one-year survival, which are both associated with good neurological outcomes, by nearly 50 per cent, compared with the current standard of care, closed-chest manual CPR."
Tags: A&E | General Health | North America
Printer friendly page