By Tim Bonfield
Enquirer staff writer

Miami Township firefighters/paramedics Jeff Childers (left) and Jason Peng watch as the AutoPulse performs chest compressions on Rescue Annie, a training dummy. The department is the first in the area to have one. (Michael E. Keating photo)

ABOUT AUTOPULSE

Manufacturer: Revivant Corp., Sunnyvale, Calif. Launch date: October 2003. Total customers: 52 (through July 7). How it works: A computer-controlled motor attached to a wide chest band makes powerful chest compressions that force blood to the brain when the heart has stopped beating. Assistance with breathing is still provided manually.

MILFORD - The Miami Township Fire and EMS Department in Clermont County has become the first in Greater Cincinnati to field a mechanical device to perform CPR.

The department has purchased three $13,000 AutoPulse CPR devices - made by California-based Revivant Corp. - to be used on more than 30 cardiac arrest runs its paramedics make each year.

Since April, the department has used the devices on 11 patients whose hearts had stopped. So far, none of the people has lived long enough to leave the hospital.

"We believe it will save a life," said Jim Whitworth, chief of the Miami Township department. "The principal reason we obtained (the AutoPulse) is that it does better CPR than our folks can do. It also relieves our personnel to administer drug therapies and do other advanced procedures."

As many as 450,000 people a year nationwide suffer sudden cardiac arrest. When the heart stops outside the hospital, less than 6 percent of people survive. That survival rate has been improving in recent years with the wider use of automatic defibrillators, which can shock a heart back into a normal rhythm. But defibrillators cannot be used in all situations in which a heart stops.

The device

So, researchers have been trying to develop a mechanical device that can perform the traditional chest compressions of CPR.

The AutoPulse consists of a backboard with an attached motor and computer controls plus a wide strap capable of covering most of a person's rib cage. It takes one to two minutes to connect the device to a patient, company officials say.

The motor and strap perform chest compressions more effectively than manual CPR because, studies have shown, the mechanical device pumps more blood to the brain and does not get fatigued.

Since the product was launched in October through July 7, Revivant reports selling devices to 52 customers, including fire departments, ambulance services and hospitals scattered from California to Florida.

The company claims at least eight people ranging in age from 45 to 81 have been saved by the device.

"By providing enough good circulation, (the Auto Pulse) can get the heart back into a state where it can be re-started," said Tom Fitzmorris, director of product marketing for Revivant.

Local reaction

Many area fire departments will be closely watching the experiences reported by Miami Township to decide whether they will buy their own AutoPulse systems.

"It's a great idea, but whether it works or not remains to be seen," said Trish Brooks, Forest Park fire chief. "If a person has a chance of living, good CPR is really critical. It can be difficult to perform CPR correctly and hold on when you're going around corners and over bumps."

The device's cost remains a big concern. Forest Park makes fewer than 100 cardiac arrest runs per year. At $13,000, the device would cost $1,300 per run for that first year, so it would need to be clearly effective to justify such costs, Brooks said.

For the Sycamore Township EMS and Fire Department, most people with heart problems are within five to 10 minutes' drive from either Bethesda North Hospital in Montgomery or Jewish Hospital in Kenwood. By the time life squads can get a patient hooked up to the AutoPulse, they'd nearly be at the hospital, said Chief William Jetter. His department plans to continue relying on manual CPR.

"Departments with longer transport times to the hospital probably will look at it," Jetter said. "But we think our money can be better spent on other things."

E-mail tbonfield@enquirer.com