Medina hospital has new device to treat cardiac arrest
MEDINA – Orleans Community Health has announced it is now equipped with a new device to help treat sudden cardiac arrest.
The ZOLL AutoPulse Resuscitation System helps to improve blood flow to the heart and brain during sudden cardiac arrest because of the unique, high quality chest compressions it generates, according to Cindy Perry, director of Outreach, Education and Marketing for Orleans Community Health. The equipment was purchased with grant funding from the state, Perry said.
Cardiac arrest is a substantial public health problem with more than 720,000 people in the United States affected every year. According to Keys to Public Health/Population Health Collaborative, Orleans County ranks in the worst 25% of all counties for age adjusted deaths from heart attacks in New York state.
“Our goal is to protect the lives of our community’s citizens, and this equipment is an important step in helping to achieve that goal,” said Dr. Richard S. Elman, FACEP, Emergency Department director at Medina Memorial Hospital. “I have been a professional Emergency Department physician for more than 40 years, and I have never seen a devise that does what AutoPulse does. With it, we are better equipped to deal with sudden cardiac arrest.”
Elman continued to say that manual CPR is the standard for providing temporary circulatory support and oxygen delivery during cardiac arrest. However, due to physical challenges, delivery of high-quality manual CPR is difficult to provide in many situations and can quickly become tiresome for health care workers to do for prolonged periods of time.
“Improvements in resuscitation practices could save many lives,” Elman said.
