LPVRS Purchases Cardiac Support Pump

Lexington Park - 11/20/2008

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By The Bay Net User 'mcahall'

One of the most difficult of all calls for EMS to run is the cardiac arrest/CPR in progress call. Proper care of these very critical patients requires excellent coordination among a large group of providers, and excellent CPR skills. In order to give patients the best possible chance, early and consistent CPR is absolutely essential. For very long calls, CPR may be given for as long as an hour, depending on the location of the patient, and the transport time to the hospital. Studies have shown, and anyone providing CPR can attest, that it's very difficult to provide CPR manually for that long a period of time. In fact, studies show that most people can only give a few rounds (two minutes each) of CPR before beginning to tire. This can result in a tired provider giving less-than-adequate CPR. To help solve this problem, and provide the best available care to its patients, LPVRS recently purchased an Autopulse cardiac assist device, using a $10,000 grant received from the United Way, and matching funds provided by the LPVRS Associates. The autopulse provides CPR automatically, reducing the need for manual CPR. On November 17, the first training session with the Autopulse was given by a representative of Zoll, the manufacturer of this device. Very well attended by members, the training provided information on the setup, use and maintenance of this device. The device will be deployed by LPVRS shortly, and will be available on first due CPR calls. At present, no other EMS or Fire company in Southern Maryland owns an autopulse.

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