Resuscitation of cardiac arrest patients affected by an infectious disease could compromise caregiver safety. The LUCAS chest compression system could help by minimizing the amount of contact between the caregiver and patient. LUCAS provides an extra pair of hands allowing the caregiver to maintain distance and focus on treating the underlying cause.
The European resuscitation council interim guidelines on COVID-19 patients recommend where there is a need for prolonged CPR, to consider the use of a mechanical chest, a compression device for those settings that are familiar with its use.
While the Canadian Cardiovascular Society states: “Limit healthcare providers exposure during cardiac arrests involving known or suspected COVID-19...consider mCPR device such as LUCAS.”
The American Heart Association has incorporated the consideration for mechanical CPR into their ACLS Cardiac Arrest Algorithm for Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Patients.
Benefits of LUCAS for the caregiver
Reduce proximity to patient: Manual CPR may be a possible transmission route of COVID-19, as breathing in close proximity to the airway of the patient during an aerobic activity may increase transmission to healthcare professionals.
The increased transmission of SARS-CoV to healthcare workers previously reported during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was likely due to virus aerosolisation during BVM ventilation.
Minimize staff exposure: When managing suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19, the number of individual staff members involved in the resuscitation should be kept to a minimum with no or minimal exchange of staff for the duration of the case, if possible.
References available on request
For more information visit www.lucas-cpr.com