By paNOW

Donor provides new automated life-saving machine for Victoria Hospital

Feb 14, 2018 | 3:00 PM

Staff at Prince Albert’s Victoria Hospital will no longer need to spend long shifts performing manual CPR on patients in cardiac arrest. Thanks to an anonymous donor, the hospital’s new LUCAS automated CPR machine will be up and running very soon.

“When someone goes into cardiac arrest, in order to save their life and prevent neurological damage, our ER staff need to supply a steady supply of oxygen to the heart and brain,” the Victoria Hospital Foundation’s Sherry Buckler told paNOW. “Performing manual chest compressions can be very chaotic, time-consuming and inconsistent.”

That’s where the LUCAS machine comes in. Buckler said the device automatically takes over, reducing the chaos and crowding and buying more time for the medical team to assess what’s wrong and what needs to be done.

“This machine is proven to save many lives,” she said.

Buckler said she recalls an incident at the hospital a few years ago when a hypothermic patient needed three hours of manual CPR, and extra staff needed to be called in to help with the exhausting effort. Buckler said the man’s life was saved, but having the new equipment would have made a big difference in terms of resources.

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The $15,000 machine comes to the hospital through an anonymous donation from a local man who wanted to give back.

“His spouse was treated here, and said she had a good experience,” Buckler said. “He wanted to do something that made an impact and to show how much he appreciated the care.”

Emergency room staff will be given training on the new machine in the next week, and Buckler said the device will be ready to run very shortly.

Lyle Karasiuk, with Parkland Ambulance, said local paramedics have four automated CPR machines in their vehicles. Karasiuk said it was great news to see the new technology added to the hospital’s emergency room.

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow