Taking another step forward in providing the best care to our patients, Jackson County EMS received a grant in early 2011 that was used to purchase seven Lucas II Automated CPR Devices. These are battery powered CPR machines that deliver uninterrupted chest compressions to a patient in cardiac arrest, which has been shown to be pivotal in appropriate cardiac arrest management.
In the past, chest compressions would be started where the patient was found by emergency responders but pauses would have to take place moving the patient to the stretcher, out of the home, getting in to the ambulance and so on. These pauses cause the blood flow to the heart and other vital organs to briefly cease which is not preferred. By adding these devices to our units, we are able to deliver continuous chest compressions to the patient once the device is applied.