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Tuesday, January 4, 2005

AutoPulse Resuscitation System

Filed under: Anesthesiology , Critical Care , Emergency Medicine

The Baltimore Sun on the latest news from Howard county, Maryland:

Howard's Department of Fire and Rescue Services is the first in the state to purchase three of the devices, called the AutoPulse, at $15,000 each.

Manufactured by California-based Revivant Corp., the device was in development and testing for four years and has been on the market for little more than a year. Dozens of fire departments, ambulance services and hospitals across the country have started using it, according to the company and news reports.

The device, which looks like a big chest belt, generates blood flow across the chest area. A patient is placed onto a platform similar to a backboard, and a belt is strapped across the chest. After the push of a few buttons and simple instruction prompts from a small LCD screen, the machine automatically sizes and adjusts to the patient and begins compression. The belt then alternates between snapping tight and slackening, to induce blood circulation.

Part of the appeal of the device is that it offers consistent, standardized cardiopulmonary resuscitation...

Need another reason? No more dead people with cracked ribs and sternal bones from overzealous resuscitation.

More info and videos at ZOLL Medical Corporation...

email this article to a friend      print this!           comments and peer reviews (4)




replies: 4 comments
Open comments are not moderated, although abusive and vulgar remarks may be deleted. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Medgadget.com. Please consult our disclaimer.

Hasn't this already been tried via the "Thumper"? Used to clip onto the rails of an ambulance stretcher, and perform CPR during the ride to the hospital. I don't think it helped outcomes, but it was safer than a paramedic in a moving rig.


Posted by: Chief
on January 4, 2005 11:50 AM GMT

Chief:
was there some technical problem with the Thumper?


Posted by: DR.O
on January 4, 2005 01:28 PM GMT

The only multi-center RCT study of this AutoPulse (ASPIRE trial) was terminated early by the Intitutional Review Board (IRB) because outcomes were WORSE for patients who received the device compared to those with manual CPR. This was particularly evident in patients with the most treatable rhythm (ventricular fibrillation). There were also case reports of a flail chest in Palm Springs and Austin. Seattle, Calgary, Pittsburgh, and Vancover (along with Riverside County, CA) have pulled this device from their ambulances. You might want to temper your zeal for this boondoggle.


Posted by: DocA
on February 11, 2006 03:21 PM GMT

For every "trial" that ends in disaster, another ends in success. We have two of these devices and they are great - and it's much, much better than the old thumpers or HLRs. Sounds like "DocA" may work for Medtronic.


Posted by: medic
on March 17, 2006 04:00 AM GMT