The debate about manual CPR vs mechanical CPR is one that has gone on for decades.
While we know there are several advantages to mechanical CPR in general, the outcomes for patients with heart disease and heart failure who undergo any type of CPR are not always successful because CPR cannot remedy the underlying cause of the heart stoppage. So, sadly, when a person has such conditions as advanced cardiomyopathy, severely clogged arteries, a defective heart valve or other such debilitating cardiovascular issues often the damage is already done to the heart, significantly impacting the chance for a positive outcome by CPR.
Still, there are conditions where mechanical CPR is beneficial to patients and increases odds of survival. This is the case when the underlying cause of the heart stoppage is not related to cardiovascular disease or the heart itself – for example when the heart stops due to an electric shock, physical blow, drug overdose, poisoning or hypothermia.
Provide Time to Correct Root Cause of Heart Stoppage
These conditions all require additional treatments to correct the root cause of the heart stoppage. While doctors are performing these treatments, a mechanical CPR device can maintain optimum compressions and perfusion without interruption. The Life-Stat Mechanical CPR device also is open by design to allow doctors easier access to the patient’s chest as they administer treatment and care such as defibrillation, or relief of a pneumothorax by a chest tube. The Life-Stat can also administer the pure oxygen ventilation to the patient per current 2015 American Heart Association (AHA) CPR Guidelines, so doctors and caregivers are able to work hands free to treat the patient’s symptoms – knowing that patients are getting proper AHA specified compressions and coordinated ventilation.
Many hospitals may think that mechanical CPR devices belong only in the Emergency Department but these devices have applications throughout different units including cardiovascular care areas, ICU, step down care units and more. Some hospitals have found that deploying the Life-Stat to all code blue (heart stoppage) events in the hospital by a team that includes the use of the Life-Stat demonstrates improved results including cerebral perfusion.
Learn more about our Life-Stat Mechanical CPR device or contact us today with any questions you have about its application in your hospital setting.
There is no question that CPR can be beneficial to your patient to continue compressions and blood flow through the body. Here we take a look at 5 uses for mechanical CPR devices specifically and how they can increase a patient’s chance of survival.
- Better Cerebral Perfusion. Per the AHA guidelines, consistent compressions are more important than the breaths provided to the patient during CPR. Mechanical CPR devices deliver consistent chest compressions to a depth and at a velocity that have been shown to provide improved blood flow to the patient’s brain.
- Better Access to the Patient. Mechanical CPR devices stay in place and make it easier for healthcare providers to work on other aspects of the patient’s care. No need to work around people providing chest compressions (and breaths). If necessary, Mechanical CPR can be paused and resumed with a push of a button, maintaining nearly complete access to the patient throughout the resuscitation effort.
- No Interruption of Compressions During Transport. Attempting to deliver consistent, high quality cardiac compressions via CPR in transport, whether in a stairway, in an ambulance, or through hospital hallways is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Mechanical CPR devices can be securely applied to the patient throughout transport, avoiding any interruptions in CPR.
- Repeatable Performance. In healthcare, professionals strive to deliver the best therapy in a repeatable way, leading to improved outcomes. Providing consistent, uninterrupted care during CPR, and knowing your patient is receiving optimal chest compressions while other issues and procedures are addressed, should provide that kind of confidence to all caregivers.
- Reduced Risk to Patient and Caregivers. Physical limitations and fatigue of a human CPR provider can negatively impact the quality of resuscitation efforts. Obviously, this can hurt the patient’s chances of survival. In addition, manual CPR, when done properly, puts great physical demand on the caregiver, putting them at risk of injury. Mechanical CPR can help to minimize these risks.
Learn more about our Life-Stat Mechanical CPR Machines and how they can help you deliver the highest quality care during treatment of cardiac arrest. Contact us today with any questions or to request a price quote.
These Mechanical CPR Devices Offer 120 Compressions per Minute, Ideal for Hospital Settings
In October of 2015, the American Heart Association announced new guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR.) They stated that quick action and more teamwork is key to saving more lives. We agree.
The American Heart Association guidelines, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, highlight how quick action, proper training, use of technology and coordinated efforts can increase survival from cardiac arrest.
As you know, cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the US and in other countries around the world. When the heart suddenly stops or malfunctions, blood flow is interrupted to the patient which causes death within minutes. Survival often depends on immediate CPR, starting with bystanders.
- More than 326,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year.
- Another 209,000 people have a cardiac arrest while in the hospital.
CPR training is a fundamental part of care within healthcare systems. Still, it has been shown that resuscitation skills can decline within a few months. While frequent training is important, the use of mechanical CPR devices can also free up physicians to provide other critical care to the patient.
“The 2015 update calls for integrated systems of care that participate in continuous quality improvement and that provide a common framework for both community and healthcare-based resuscitation systems,” said Clifton Callaway, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the AHA’s Emergency Cardiovascular Care committee and professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. “We must create a culture of action that benefits the entire community in which it operates, inside and outside the hospital setting.” – via heart.org
2015 AHA CPR Guidelines
The 2015 AHA Guidelines include increased limits for compressions per minute (100 to 120 cpm) and ventilations (10 breaths per minute (bpm)). Healthcare professionals in a situation requiring CPR are also encouraged to check for breath and pulse at the same time, to try and reduce the time to first compression.
Michigan Instruments monitors guideline changes and compliance requirements for our devices constantly. As a result, we have improved our Life-Stat mechanical CPR device options based on these guidelines. We have separate devices available that can deliver 120 compressions per minute or 100 compressions per minute at 10 bpm.
Life-Stat Mechanical CPR Device in Hospital Settings
The Life-Stat mechanical CPR device offers many advantages for use in the hospital setting including quick set up, the option to include ventilation with chest compressions, and most importantly, hands free operation giving physicians the ability to focus on other aspects of emergency care for the patient.
Learn more about our Life-Stat Mechanical CPR Device here, or contact us with your questions.
To read more about the 2015 AHA Guidelines, visit https://eccguidelines.heart.org/index.php/american-heart-association/
Technology That Saves Lives
Fifty years ago, no one had heard of mechanical CPR, a device that has since saved thousands of lives. By providing hands-free external chest compressions, a mechanical CPR machine allows medical professionals to concentrate on other life-saving procedures, instead of performing manual CPR, to give the patient a better chance for survival.
Fifty years ago, the engineers at Michigan Instruments were hard at work developing this new technology. In 1964 they pioneered industry-leading mechanical CPR devices that provide the most critical component of CPR – solid compressions that circulate blood to the brain, quickly and effectively.
The Thumper® Mechanical CPR
The Thumper 1007CC is a mechanical CPR machine is capable of delivering continuous chest compressions to a patient in a state of acute cardiac arrest. The automatic compressions delivered by the Thumper are uninterrupted and exact.
Compression depth is easily adjustable from 0-3.2”, allowing treatment to be tuned to accommodate a wide range of patients.
The Thumper CPR device is also approved for off-level use, allowing perfect hands-free, automatic CPR to be delivered even if the patient is being transported down a flight of stairs.
Life-Stat® Mechanical CPR Machine with Oxygen Assist
The Model 1008 Life-Stat Mechanical CPR device is revolutionary technology resulting from more than 48 years of incremental development.
This innovative, automatic CPR machine provides unparalleled benefits including:
- hands-free, fully compliant 30:2 CPR
- hands-free fully compliant continuous AHA CPR
- adjustable compression depth
- the fastest switch-over from manual to mechanical CPR on the market
- the ability to accommodate both small and large patients
- hands-free CPR in any position with a secured patient
The Michigan Instruments Difference
There are many other mechanical CPR devices on the market. So what makes Thumper and Life-Stat different from other mechanical CPR devices?
Thumper and Life-Stat offer medical professionals the following advantages:
- Up to 50% deeper compressions and adjustable compression depths
- Accommodates patients twice the size of standard mechanical CPR devices — up to 550 lbs
- Easier patient transfer — can be used at 45° angle when transporting patients down staircases
- Lower cost —1/3 the price of most mechanical CPR devices, pricing starting at $4995
Michigan Instruments mechanical CPR products fully meet the 2010 AHA guidelines and are regularly recognized for initiating ROSC in cardiac arrest patients.
As the landscape of medicine changes, so must technology. Michigan Instruments is proud to lead the industry in refining and developing new technologies that are saving lives each and every day.
Grand Rapids, MI 49512 USA
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