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For Immediate Release

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Debra Brase, 507-444-6070

Owatonna Hospital first in region to use new automated CPR device

OWATONNA, Minn.  06/11/2008--People who have sudden cardiac arrest at Owatonna Hospital have access to the latest innovation to improve their odds of survival. A cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) machine called LUCAS™ that does chest compression better than a human was recently purchased by the Owatonna Hospital.

The LUCAS device.

"Effective CPR saves lives," says Anne Draeger, RN, Owatonna Hospital Emergency Department manager. "I'm convinced we will perform more consistent CPR with LUCAS than we can with human intervention. Some patient care situations require prolonged CPR and LUCAS will help us deliver the needed circulation to our patients."

The LUCAS system replaces manual chest compressions that are an integral part of the traditional CPR procedure. Not only is the manual process itself physically strenuous, it must be done immediately and without interruption so that oxygenated blood flows consistently to vital organs like the heart and the brain. Part plunger, part suction cup, the LUCAS device is placed around the chest of a patient immediately and can perform 100 compressions per minute with a depth of 2 inches.

LUCAS, developed in Sweden, has been used in Europe for several years. When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved LUCAS this past summer for use in the United States, Charles Lick, MD and medical director for Allina Medical Transportation, began equipping Allina ambulances with the devices as fast as the manufacturer could supply them.

"We've been doing CPR in this country for more than 45 years with little to no impact on cardiac arrest survival rates," Lick says. "We know that CPR is difficult to do well. A machine doesn't get tired – it’s consistent, and consistency is key."

Last November, Owatonna Hospital also added new technology to help increase survival and keep brain function intact with the purchase of the Rescue Pod (ResQPOD), a fist sized device that increases circulation and blood flow to vital organs during CPR.

The challenge with CPR alone is the possibility of delivering too much air, too often, making the compressions less effective. ResQPOD is designed to reduce the chances and improve the quality of CPR. Studies have shown that when the ResQPOD is placed on a breathing tube for CPR, it rapidly doubles blood flow and dramatically increases the effectiveness of CPR. In fact, the American Heart Association (AHA) recently recommended the use of the device to increase circulation during CPR in its latest cardiac care guidelines.

"I'm proud to be a part of the Owatonna Hospital, especially when I see the hospital being on the cutting edge of saving lives by employing technology such as the LUCAS device," said Kathy Kramer, MD, Owatonna Clinic-Mayo Health System emergency department physician.

Use of LUCAS and the ResQPOD at Owatonna Hospital is part of their efforts to dramatically improve cardiac survival rates by a combination of changes in emergency care. "Allina has already taken the lead not only locally, but nationally in cardiac arrest resuscitation with our various programs including the Heart Safe Communities initiative which has placed 32 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in Owatonna," says Draeger. According to Lick, "Our communities see a 14 percent average survival rate from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) verses the five percent national average. The LUCAS device is just the next step in improving survival rates.

"The emergency department staff is trained to use LUCAS, and the device is located in the emergency department, but we can take it to all areas of the hospital," says Draeger.

About Owatonna Hospital

The new Owatonna Hospital will be connected to the current Owatonna Clinic-Mayo Health System 26th Street location, off Interstate 35, creating a health care campus. The facility will be designed to create an environment for providing high quality, safe, patient-centered care for residents in the region.

Owatonna Hospital and Allina Hospitals & Clinics are taking a leadership role to promote healthy eating and physical activity through their heart healthy living and obesity initiatives with an emphasis on childhood obesity. Over the next five years, Allina and Owatonna Hospital will be working with community organizations to improve nutrition and increase physical activity to decrease obesity and improve heart health.