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.