A ceremony was held at the Churchville Volunteer Fire Department on Thursday, May 25, to mark the LUCAS 3 chest compression device being put into service. The event featured the presentation of the device along with a demonstration.
The Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System (LUCAS) provides safe and effective mechanical chest compressions to patients in cardiac arrest. It is mostly used in emergency medicine as an alternative to manual CPR because it provides guidelines-consistent compressions 2.1 inches deep at a rate of 102 per minute. It allows for uninterrupted compressions even through difficult transport conditions and eliminates the physical strain on the person performing CPR.
The delivery of high-quality CPR is vital for patient outcomes. The LUCAS device has been shown to create more blood flow to the brain both in humans and experimental studies compared to manual CPR.
The Churchville Volunteer Fire Department used money from their memorial fund towards the purchase of the device. Families that donated to the memorial fund in a loved one’s name were invited to the ceremony. The other half of the funds came from the Churchville Lions Club, and were raised at a community chicken barbecue.
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