Cardiology  

Philips releases defibrillators compliant with newest guidelines from AHA, ERC and ILCOR

8 September 2006

Andover, Mass. Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHI), has announced that its entire line of HeartStart Defibrillators is compliant with American Heart Association (AHA), European Resuscitation Council (ERC), and International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) 2005 Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC).

All HeartStart Defibrillators now shipping, including the Home, OnSite (HS1), FRx, FR2+, XL and MRx, support the new protocol of single-shock defibrillation, followed by immediate CPR, which is recommended in the updated Guidelines. Clinical studies show that the technology in HeartStart Defibrillators has a greater than 95 % first-shock efficacy in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims.(1)

In addition, the FRx and OnSite support the Guidelines' new protocol to perform cycles of 30 chest compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths.

"It is extremely important to have current technology to help a responder make the most informed decision when treating a sudden cardiac arrest patient," said Mike Miller, senior vice president, Cardiac Care, for Philips Medical Systems. "As a leader in CPR and defibrillation technology, Philips made adoption of the new Guidelines a top priority to ensure we are providing our customers with tools that reflect the latest science in resuscitation."

Since the Guidelines were previously updated in 2000, numerous research studies have shown that effective CPR is an even more critically important element in helping save the lives of cardiac arrest victims. These studies are in large part the basis for the development of the new Guidelines.

Responding to this science, Philips recently introduced a range of resuscitation technology solutions designed to ensure that quality CPR and early defibrillation are delivered quickly and effectively. Philips' commitment to continually help improve survival from SCA is evidenced through the introduction of innovative technologies such as:

  • Q-CPR(TM): provides real-time CPR monitoring and feedback for advanced life support (ALS)-trained responders.
  • SMART CPR: automatically advises a responder whether to provide an immediate defibrillation shock, or CPR first, followed by a shock, when treating a patient with a shockable cardiac arrest rhythm.
  • Quick Shock: technology which enables a defibrillation shock to be delivered quickly after CPR is stopped--up to three times faster than other solutions on the market.
  • CPR Coaching: a coaching tool for both adult and infant/child CPR, provides audio cues for the appropriate number, depth, and rate of chest compressions as well as cues for each rescue breath.

Defibrillators treat the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), an electrical malfunction of the heart that causes it to beat erratically rather than pump in a normal rhythm.

For more information about the 2005 Guidelines, please visit the AHA website at: http://www.americanheart.org 

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