FDA Grants Clearance for Real-Time CPR Measurement and Feedback Technology

NEW YORK, Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent studies published in the Journalof the American Medical Association (JAMA) revealed that, in many cases, CPR performed by professional responders does not meet American Heart Association(AHA) guidelines.

The studies measured the level of accuracy of CPR delivery, both inside the hospital and on emergency response calls, and discovered that the majority of the time chest compression rates were too slow, chest compression depth too shallow and breath rates too high.

To meet the need for tools to aid in the delivery of high-quality CPR bymedical professionals, Philips is announcing the introduction of Q-CPR technology on the Philips HeartStart MRx monitor/defibrillator. Q-CPR is the first technology cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide real-time cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) monitoring and feedback for advanced life support (ALS)-trained responders.

Q-CPR, developed by Laerdal, will provide corrective feedback on the rate and depth of chest compressions as well as the frequency and quality of ventilations (breaths), allowing for modification in technique when administering CPR.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) affects 340,000 people each year in the U.S. alone, and fewer than five percent survive, largely because defibrillators do not get to them in time or bystander CPR was not performed. For each minute that passes before defibrillation therapy reaches a victim, the chance for survival decreases by about 10 percent. After 10 minutes, few attempts at resuscitation are successful. Early CPR and defibrillation, together with good post-resuscitation care, can improve survival rates substantially.

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