Smaller Flexible Automatic Defibrillator

A new automatic defibrillator device is one-fourth the size of its predecessor, offers flexible applications, and costs less. The device continuously monitors a patient's heart activity externally for life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms and can administer live-saving defibrillation therapy in seconds without the need to wait for intervention from a nurse, doctor, or attendant.

Called the Cardiac Rhythm Module, the device is the second-generation Powerheart, which monitors patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest and automatically administers defibrillation therapy in seconds. This newer Powerheart can be used as a stand-alone device, attached to bedside patient monitors, or can be used during the transport of patients within a medical center. Features include biphasic defibrillation technology and noninvasive temporary external cardiac pacing. Both Powerhearts are the products of Cardiac Science (Irvine, CA, USA), The company's original Powerheart is the only external device cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for monitoring and treating patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

Cardiac Science states that Powerheart was created to replace current procedures that require intervention by highly trained personnel with crash-cart defibrillators, which can result in significant delays in treatment and poor patient outcomes. Since a patient's chance of survival decreases by 10% for each minute that passes, reducing the time interval to the first defibrillation shock after the onset of abnormal heart rhythms can improve survival rates. Cardiac Science recently completed its acquisition of Artema Medical AB (Stockholm, Sweden), a manufacturer of patient monitors and external defibrillator devices.




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