November 8, 2005 -- Royal Philips Electronics, in partnership with Laerdal, has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing Q-CPR technology on the Philips HeartStart MRx monitor/defibrillator. Q-CPR is the first technology cleared by the FDA that provides real-time cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) monitoring and feedback for advanced life support (ALS) - trained responders. Q-CPR, developed by Laerdal and available only on the HeartStart MRx, will offer medical professionals corrective feedback on the rate and depth of chest compressions, as well as the frequency and quality of ventilations (breaths), allowing for modification in their technique when administering CPR.

Recent studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) revealed that, in many cases, CPR performed by medical professionals in and out of the hospital 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. The authors discussed findings at the American Heart Association scientific sessions in Dallas this week.

"Emergency responders have a high level of training. However, balancing the correct amount of breaths with the exact depth and rate of chest compressions is actually a very complicated process with a high likelihood of human error," said Dr. Lance Becker, Associate Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Emergency Resuscitation Research Center at the University of Chicago. "Q-CPR will help emergency responders deliver quality CPR consistently, even in the most stressful and fast-paced environments."
Quality CPR and early defibrillation are inextricably linked - the combination is essential to increase the survival rate for victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). When breath rates or chest compression targets are not being met, Q-CPR provides visual and audio cues that help rescuers adjust their technique. Laerdal, the worldwide leader in CPR solutions, developed Q-CPR technology over a five-year period to enable caregivers to not just "feel" CPR, but to see and hear how they are doing, helping to improve the quality of CPR for their patients in real-time.

Q-CPR, developed by Laerdal and Philips and available only on the HeartStart MRx monitor/defibrillator, offers medical professionals corrective feedback on the rate and depth of chest compressions, as well as the frequency and quality of ventilations (breaths), encouraging them to adjust their technique, as needed, to improve CPR performance.

More Industry Headlines