Zoll AutoPulse

[Oilersfan1]

Fubar we are interested in this device due to our long transport times, roughly 30 mins. Do you feel this device is a total waste?

[FUBAR]

I would just take into consideration the cost and the benefits for patient and the ease of use for your staff. The Auto-pulse is heavy, cumbersome but it is easy to apply to the pt. And like i said before there are no increase in the arrest to discharge ratio. I know that you might think that this would be a great tool but consider the fact that the likely hood of survival of someone in arrest for the 30 min transport time is minimal at best. It could be a good tool for BLS providers that can't call the code after working it for twenty min. The Auto-pulse is expensive and unless you work in the Bermuda triangle of cardiac arrest i can't see handing over the cash to put these on your cars. A basic thumper though a little more complicated will do the trick.

[island emt]

Oilersfan:

Having used the thumper years ago and now having the Autopulse on our ambulance service , there is no comparison between the two. The A/P is easy to use , easy to keep the pt. aligned and the A/P will give a palpable B/P to a pt in arrest. With the new AHA guidelines recommending non interrupted compressions in order to re-perfuse the cardiac tissue and supply blood flow to the brain , this machine will do what is advertised. It will also provide continuous compressions while carrying the pt down stairs or across the lawn to the rig.

I used it twice in one day a couple of weeks ago and was amazed at the ease of starting an IV on a pt that had been down about 5 minutes prior to our arrival, after less than a minute on the A/P. Real perfusion to the extremities , the battery will last at least 45-50 minutes on a charge then slide it out and replace it in 10 seconds back to compressions. attach ETCO2 to the tube and we saw essentially a normal waveform and values on a pt in arrest.

The big advantage to using it , it allows your crew to be seated while in transit not trying to remain upright and balanced while bouncing down miles of rural roads during your trip to the hospital. this also allows a smaller crew to dedicate their time to airway and meds without having to swap off on compressions every few minutes.

For more information check out the Richmond Ambulance Authority . They have been on the forefront of using the AutoPulse and I believe have more uses than anyone else . they were a lot of help in answering my questions about the unit prior to deciding to purchase it. Try sending a PM to richmond medic on this site, or send me a PM with your E-mail + i will forward it to him.

Is the Autopulse the secret to reversing all cardiac arrest?? no but it sure is a lot better than any of the other options available out there today. Time will tell if it will make a big difference in outcomes . but it sure makes it a lot easier to run a code with continuous compressions of an effective depth and strength.

[JakeEMTP]

We use the Autopulse in our service and combined with a ventilator makes for some pretty good cpr. One can set the A/P to automatic for continuous compressions once you have a ETT placed as per AHA guidelines. We find it a excellent tool and would recommend it to anyone. By compressing from the side of the chest wall as well as the thoracic cavity, the A/P will deliver better compressions then you or I could wish for, since the new guidelines are for 2 min uninterrupted compressions @ 100/min.

[Oilersfan1]

Thank you all for the feedback. It is greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[hertzvanrental]

Ever heard of the LUCAS device, we use it in our county in the UK, you think the autopulse looks brutal, think again! Sorry can't post a link coz i'm useless at all this computer stuff, I will learn- I promise.

[Oilersfan1]

Never heard of this device. I will have to look into it.

Cheers :occasion5:

[kyle308]

Ever heard of the LUCAS device, we use it in our county in the UK, you think the autopulse looks brutal, think again! Sorry can't post a link coz i'm useless at all this computer stuff, I will learn- I promise.

my lord its a freakng monster...and it looks like from the video" http://www.lucas-cpr.com/lucas.php?sid=6# " that it doesnt compress very far at all.

[Spock]

We had the Auto Pulse for about 6 months as part of a study. I used it 4 times and three of those patients arrived at the hospital with a pulse, blood pressure and spontaneous respirations. It delivers impressive CPR if used properly. The study was halted because of problems with a patient in another city so the jury is still out on its effectiveness. The comments about no improved survival rates are correct as all three of my patients expired a day or two later. All of these patients had significant medical problems and I was impressed that we got pulses back at all. There was no reason to believe that any thing other than the Auto Pulse was responsible.

My experience is purely anecdotal so I would suggest searching the literature before buying because the thing is expensive.

Live long and prosper.

Spock

[Thunderchild145]

From what I hear, the autopulse and manual CPR have the same or very very close to the same results for return of spontaneous circulation, -BUT- the 30 day survival rate for patients on whom the autopulse was used is lower. I'll stick with CPR.