Kiwanis Partnership Saves Four Lives from SCA with Implementation of ZOLL AED Plus

October 18, 2011—CHELMSFORD, MASS.—ZOLL Medical Corporation (Nasdaq GS: ZOLL), a manufacturer of resuscitation devices and related software solutions, announced today that its partnership with the LaMissTenn District of Kiwanis, a multi-year initiative to place ZOLL AED Plus®  units with real-time Real CPR Help® feedback in every school in Louisiana, Mississippi and West Tennessee, has resulted in saving at least four lives from sudden cardiac arrest since it began in 2008.

The lives saved in the tri-state district include:

•     A 42-year-old father picking up his son from Bon Lin Middle School in Shelby County, Tenn., was saved by an assistant principal and a nurse, using CPR and the AED Plus.  (August 2009)

•     A football referee standing on the sidelines during a football game at Lafayette High School in Lafayette, La., was saved by CPR and an AED Plus that was on site.  (November 2010)

•     A 15-year-old freshman football player at a scrimmage at Breaux Bridge High School in Breaux Bridge, La., was saved by his coaches who performed CPR and used the AED Plus.  The coaches, principals and nurses had an emergency plan in place, which they had practiced several times during practice to simulate a sudden cardiac arrest.  (May 2011)   

•     A contractor repairing the air conditioning system at Martin Middle School in Martin, Tenn., collapsed in the cafeteria.  The school nurse began CPR and shocked him twice with an AED Plus before paramedics arrived.  (August 8, 2011)

ZOLL offers the AED Plus units to the district at a discounted price, and then each club raises funds from local businesses and organizations to purchase AED Plus units for the schools.  Since the district program began four years ago, the clubs have placed over 365 AED Plus devices in more than 350 schools in the tri-state district.     

“When we place AEDs in schools, our hope is they will never be used. But when a sudden cardiac arrest occurs, having an AED available and providing immediate CPR, is the victim’s best chance for survival,”  said Pam Morgan, Coordinator for the LaMissTenn District of Kiwanis AED Project.  “What’s so impressive about the AED Plus is that it offers real-time CPR feedback to guide the lay or infrequent rescuer to the correct depth and rate of chest compression with audio and visual prompts. It also coaches rescuers through the Chain of Survival.”

“This Kiwanis District is to be commended for recognizing the critical role AEDs play in improving outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest.  Survival from sudden cardiac arrest is directly linked to the time between the onset of cardiac arrest and providing CPR and defibrillation, so having a unit like our AED Plus readily available is critical,” said Jonathan A. Rennert, President of ZOLL.  

The ZOLL AED Plus is the first and only full-rescue AED that provides Real CPR Help for depth and rate of chest compressions during CPR. ZOLL’s enhanced Real CPR Help technology is fully compliant with the 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for deeper CPR chest compressions to help responders provide high-quality CPR. The AED Plus guides rescuers through the complete Chain of Survival, helping all sudden cardiac arrest victims, not just those who need a shock. 

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest

SCA is an abrupt disruption of the heart’s function, which causes a lack of blood flow to vital organs.  It claims more than 325,000 lives each year in the U.S. SCA is the leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning. Currently, 95 percent will die from SCA.