Alliance to Speed Hospital Access to Defibrillators

In a move to provide better emergency care for hospital patients with sudden cardiac arrest, Siemens Medical Systems (Erlangen, Germany) and Medtronic Physio-Control (Redmond, WA, USA) have announced an agreement whereby Medtronic's automated external defibrillator (AED) Lifepak 500 will be offered as part of Siemens' Infinity patient monitoring system.

Originally designed for first responders such as firefighters or police officers, the Lifepak 500's small size, portability, and easy availability make it well suited to be part of a hospital bedside system, says Medtronic. It could help save precious minutes otherwise lost as defibrillation equipment is rushed to a patient from another department of the hospital.

Under the terms of the worldwide agreement made between Medtronic and Siemens, the Lifepak 500 can be mounted with Siemens' Infinity monitors using a bracket that will allow the caregiver to transport both the monitor and the defibrillator with the patient or to have both remain by the bedside. Clinicians can pick up the Infinity monitor and go to the next care site with no interruption in data collection. The monitor measures a full selection of commonly used parameters, including 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), respiration, and blood pressure.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a major health problem. Once fibrillation begins, blood stops circulating and the victim quickly loses consciousness and will die without effective treatment. External defibrillation provides a brief but powerful shock to the victim's chest, interrupting the fibrillation and allowing the heart's natural rhythm to regain control.