When an individual suffers sudden cardiac arrest, the emergency technicians (EMTs) that arrive on the scene have two immediate goals; to defibrillate the patient to restore the heart's normal rhythm, and to maintain the circulation of oxygenated blood to prevent brain death. To achieve the second goal, EMTs perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to oxygenate the blood and to artificially circulate oxygenated blood. They have painfully little time to save the patient; irreversible brain death occurs within about six minutes of oxygen deprivation. Patients that suffer sudden cardiac arrest outside the hospital setting (about 300,000 in the US, annually) have about a 3-5% chance of surviving.
CPR is not all that effective at restoring blood flow. According to the procedure, medical technicians compress the chest repeatedly to force the movement of blood, but at best, they...
Read the full article – start your free trial today!
Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Medtech Insight for daily insights
- Start your 7-day free trial
- Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
- Access comprehensive global coverage
- Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Already a subscriber?