Advanced Circulatory Systems, Inc., an Eden Prairie, MN manufacturer, says that its ResQPOD® has been given a Class IIa recommendation by the American Heart Association in its recently released guidelines for CPR (covered by Medgadget here). Moreover, according to the company, “the ResQPOD is now more highly recommended by the AHA than any other device or drug used by emergency personnel for increasing circulation during CPR and improving resuscitation rates.”
The main benefit of the device, that is placed between a ventilation source (e.g., bag-valve or demand-valve resuscitator) and an airway adjunct, it seems to us, is in its ability to selectively impede inspiratory gases from entering the lungs of patients receiving assisted ventilation during the release phase of CPR:
During the decompression (release) phase of CPR, for example, an increase in negative pressure in the thoracic cavity results in drawing more blood back into the chest, providing greater venous return to the heart.
Improved venous return results in increased cardiac output during the subsequent compression phase of CPR, providing greater blood flow to the brain.
The ResQPOD selectively impedes inspiratory gases during the release phase of CPR resulting in:
* Increased negative pressure in the thorax
* Greater venous return to the heart
* Increased coronary perfusion
* Increased blood flow during the next compression
If you would like to learn more about the device, check out the instructions for use (.pdf) page, as well as product literature and video page at Advanced Circulatory Systems…
The press release…