CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZOLL® Medical Corporation (NasdaqGS: ZOLL), a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health has installed 88 ZOLL AED Plus® units in Mecca, the Holy City, to resuscitate pilgrims who experience sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) while participating in the Hajj.
During the largest pilgrimage in the world, some 4 million Muslims are expected to simultaneously converge on Mecca the week of the Hajj, which this year falls between October 28 and November 7. The units have been installed at locations where pilgrims perform a series of rituals─the pilgrim site, Arafat, Mena, and Jamaret Bridge.
According to Khaled Al-Banna of Al-Hammad Medical Services, ZOLL’s business partner in Saudi Arabia, severe crowding and heat during the pilgrimage trigger emergency situations such as cardiac arrest. “The government wanted to implement AEDs that they felt could significantly impact potential survival from sudden cardiac arrest. In addition to providing a shock if needed, the Real CPR Help® technology on the AED Plus, with its real-time audio and visual feedback, will guide rescuers to deliver high-quality CPR and positively impact outcomes,” he said.
“It’s encouraging that the Saudi Arabian government acknowledges the importance of having AEDs installed where there are large public gatherings, and the critical role the AED Plus can have on improving outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest,” said Jonathan A. Rennert, President of ZOLL. “The unique aspects of the AED Plus, that it guides rescuers through the complete Chain of Survival, helping all sudden cardiac arrest victims, not just those who need a shock were instrumental in the selection of our product.”
About Sudden Cardiac Arrest
SCA, an abrupt disruption of the heart’s function, which causes a lack of blood flow to vital organs, claims more than one million lives each year. It is the leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning. Survival is poor at less than eight percent, but improvements in resuscitation practices could save as many as half of these victims.
About the Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca and the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in the lifetime of every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. It is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people of their submission to God (Allah in the Arabic language).
About ZOLL Medical Corporation
ZOLL Medical Corporation develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and monitoring, circulation and CPR feedback, data management, fluid resuscitation, and therapeutic temperature management, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, and lay rescuers treat victims needing resuscitation and critical care.
A NASDAQ Global Select company and a Forbes 100 Most Trustworthy Company in 2007, 2008, and 2009, and a Forbes Top 100 Small Business Company in 2011, ZOLL develops and manufactures its products in the United States, in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. More than 400 direct sales and service representatives, 1,100 business partners, and 200 independent representatives serve our customers in over 140 countries around the globe. For more information, visit www.zoll.com.
Certain statements contained in this press release, including statements regarding the anticipated development of the Company's business and other statements contained herein regarding matters that are not historical facts, are “forward-looking” statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on December 17, 2010 and updated in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed subsequently to the Form 10-K, including the Form 10-Q Quarterly Report filed on August 8, 2011. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this press release, and the Company disavows any obligation to update or supplement those statements in the event of any changes in the facts, circumstances, or expectations that underlie those statements.
Copyright © 2011 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. AED Plus, Real CPR Help and ZOLL are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.