French Fire Brigade buys Zoll AutoPulse units

 28 March

The French Fire Brigade has contracted with Zoll Medical Corporation (Nasdaq GS: ZOLL) to equip all of its rescue vehicles with the AutoPulse non-invasive cardiac support pump.

The US$1.1 million contract with Service Departmental D’Incendie et de Secours (SDIS 95) of Val d’Oise represents the largest order to date for AutoPulse in Europe.

Under the terms of the agreement, SDIS 95 has taken delivery of 34 units, and expects the balance of the order to be placed during calendar year 2008. In early deployments of the CPR device, the fire brigade has reported delivering four sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) patients to the hospital alive.

AutoPulse helps provide the consistent, uninterrupted chest compressions called for by the 2005 American Heart Association and European Resuscitation Council Guidelines. It is an automated, portable device with an easy-to-use, load-distributing LifeBand that squeezes a wider area of the chest in a consistent, uninterrupted 'hands-free' manner, improving blood flow to the heart and brain during cardiac arrest. Additionally, it offers the benefit of freeing up rescuers to focus on other life-saving interventions.

“We’re extremely pleased that this suburban Paris fire department recognizes the importance of delivering consistent, high-quality chest compressions in helping to save the lives of SCA victims,” said Richard Packer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Zoll.

About sudden cardiac arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is an abrupt disruption of the heart’s function, which causes a lack of blood flow to vital organs. It is the leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning. Currently 95% of victims die from SCA. The human toll from SCA is alarming, with more than 1 million deaths occurring annually worldwide.

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