ZOLL Medical has begun shipments of a new version of automated external defibrillator (AED) Plus, which is equipped with enhanced real-time visual and audio feedback that guides the rescuer to deeper CPR chest compressions.
The new version of AED Plus is fully compliant with the new American Heart Association (AHA) and European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Guidelines issued in October of 2010.
The ZOLL AED Plus is a Full-Rescue AED, which helps rescuers provide high-quality manual CPR with real-time audible and visual feedback to help them achieve the proper depth and rate of CPR chest compressions.
The AED Plus guides rescuers through the complete Chain of Survival helping all sudden cardiac arrest victims, not just those who need a shock.
ZOLL recently received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to extend its Real CPR Help feedback technology to now prompt rescuers to administer compressions of at least two inches.
ZOLL president Jonathan Rennert said the enhanced Real CPR Help technology allows rescuers to know when their chest compressions are reaching the recommended depth of 2 inches or 5 centimeters.
"That half-inch, or one centimeter, increase in compression depth may sound small, but the 2010 Guidelines research shows it’s critical to improving survival from cardiac arrest," Rennert said.
"Without Real CPR Help, rescuers have to guess the depth of their compressions. There’s no longer any reason to guess when it comes to the recommended depth."