New CPR Technology at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center May Make Difference in Lives of Patients in Cardiac Arrest

Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (October 27, 2015) – Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center obtains the Physio-Control LUCAS® 2 chest compression system, an external mechanical device that provides automated chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The system is intended to be used while treating adult patients in cardiac arrest.

Designed to provide effective, consistent and uninterrupted compressions, the LUCAS 2 performs at least 100 compressions per minute at a depth of at least two inches. The system helps reduce hands-off intervals in treating patients, maintains high quality, mechanical and external compressions, and allows for simultaneous manual defibrillation.

“The hands-free LUCAS system will allow our medical staff to increase operational efficiency and focus on other aspects of care,” said Jeffrey M. Welch, CEO of Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. “As the only hospital-based emergency department in Palm Beach County to utilize this new technology, we believe it will help us improve outcomes for our cardiac arrest patients.”

The LUCAS 2 is designed to be easy to use, maintain and carry to the patient. It offers other additional benefits such as enabling hands-free compressions, so the responder can focus on other lifesaving therapies, and making effective compressions possible across the continuum of care and throughout travel. The device is also primarily radiotranslucent and allows for coronary angiography or angioplasty in the catheterization laboratory during ongoing compressions.

“Once again, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center sets the standard for cardiac care in Palm Beach County,” said Keith Bryer, Deputy Chief of Operations at Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue. “CPR mechanical devices ensure that effective chest compressions are delivered without interruption. This not only exceeds the American Heart Association’s recommendations, but allows emergency room staff to focus on other lifesaving interventions.”

Sudden cardiac arrest remains a leading cause of death in the United States, but it can be reversible if the patient receives immediate care. Effective and continuous chest compressions during resuscitation efforts can help sustain blood flow to the patient’s brain, in turn, restarting the heart’s pumping function.

As the first hospital in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast to perform open-heart surgery, The Heart & Vascular Institute at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center remains one of the area’s top heart hospitals. With a team that consists of highly skilled cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, nurses, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, dietitians, pharmacists and other clinical staff, the hospital has performed over 16,000 open-heart surgeries and more than 100,000 cardiac catheterizations to date. To learn more about Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center’s cardiac services, visit www.pbgmc.com/our-services/heart.