A New Approach to CPR

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Hall Ambulance Service is putting into practice a new approach to CPR, infusing technology with real-time performance feedback—resulting in more lives saved!

To present the new procedures to the community, Hall Ambulance hosted a media presentation on April 21, 2015, at its Community Center, located in downtown Bakersfield.

As the 9-1-1 paramedic provider for 87% of Kern County, Hall Ambulance Paramedics and EMTs performed CPR as a part of their treatment on approximately 600 requests for medical aid in 2014—the potential impact is significant.

The Science of High Quality CPR

See-thruCPR-4-21-14_DSC_9688Known as high-quality CPR, paramedics and EMTs will focus their attention on four critical components that can greatly improve patient outcome by minimizing interruptions in chest compressions, providing compressions of adequate rate and depth and by not leaning on the patient between compressions. The guidelines were identified in the 2013 CPR Quality Consensus Statement from the American Heart Association.

Once on-scene of a medical aid call for someone in cardiac arrest, Hall Paramedics will combine Zoll’s See-Thru CPR Technology with a cardiac monitor to track the patient’s heart rhythm, rate and depth of CPR compressions. See-Thru CPR filters out compression artifact on the ECG monitor so that paramedics can see the underlying heart rhythm during CPR, thereby reducing the duration of pauses in compression.

SSee-thruCPR-4-21-15_DSC_9673ophisticated software on the cardiac monitor provides audio and visual cues to confirm the EMS professional is pressing onto the sternum at least two inches deep; delivering compressions at a rate of at least 100/per minute; minimizing interruptions in CPR to no more than 10 seconds; and, completely releasing on the upstroke to allow the heart to fill with blood for the next compression.

What does all of this mean? For the first time, monitoring of CPR quality has become a reality, which supports the adage, “if you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” After the call, Hall Ambulance’s Quality Assurance Division can download data for post-event review, analysis and debriefing. As a result, the paramedic and EMT’s performance is measurable, ensuring proficiency in the five critical areas during every resuscitation attempt.

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