DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Physio-Control, the world leader in emergency medical response technologies, today announced that the comprehensive results of the LUCAS in Cardiac Arrest (LINC) clinical trial have been published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The article details results of this large randomized trial comparing resuscitation with the LUCAS® Chest Compression System with high quality manual chest compressions in cardiac arrest patients. It shows use of the device to be safe and effective and includes data suggesting good neurological outcomes in patients treated with LUCAS. The article coincides with the Resuscitation Science Symposium (ReSS) held at the American Heart Association 2013 Scientific Sessions, where the study’s lead author, Prof. Sten Rubertsson, M.D., Ph.D., Uppsala University, Sweden, presented the results of the per protocol analysis of data from the trial.
The publication expands on the LINC results presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in September, where neurological outcomes, measured using Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scores were shown to be very good in both groups. In the detailed results described in the article, trends toward better neurological outcomes in the LUCAS group can be found. Across the time points, consistently more patients in the LUCAS group had a CPC score of 1 (good cerebral performance) and consistently fewer patients treated with LUCAS had a CPC score of 3-4 (severe cerebral disability/comatose or vegetative state).
“Surviving sudden cardiac arrest, by itself, is not enough. The real measure of a successful outcome is if the patient can return to a good quality of life,” said Brian Webster, president and CEO, Physio-Control. “We are very encouraged by the good neurological outcomes in the patients treated with LUCAS. It serves as the highest level of scientific evidence in support of the safe and effective use of LUCAS.”
The study is published in JAMA, an international peer-reviewed general medical journal and the most widely circulated medical journal in the world. It adds to over 100 publications about the safety, efficacy and practical benefits of LUCAS.
“The LINC trial is the largest randomized trial published on mechanical CPR and one of the largest randomized trials in pre-hospital cardiac arrest,” said Erik von Schenck, vice president, CPR Products, Physio-Control. “It marks over five years of research and the involvement of more than 2,500 patients, 700 emergency medical service providers and 1,500 hospital staff. We are delighted the LUCAS device worked effectively and reliably, and was highly appreciated by the users.”
About Sudden Cardiac Arrest and LUCAS Chest Compression System
Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the most common causes of death in the Western World, and may hit young as well as elderly people unexpectedly. Uninterrupted and effective chest compressions are key for survival and outcomes, but exhausting and difficult to provide consistently and safely manually. The LUCAS Chest Compression System is a medical device that assists emergency care personnel in maintaining life-sustaining blood circulation to the brain and heart in sudden cardiac arrest patients. It provides consistent and effective chest compressions, designed according to the European Resuscitation Council and American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). LUCAS is simple to use, applied within seconds and feasible for use in a majority of cardiac arrest patients in most situations. LUCAS has also been used to provide life-sustaining circulation in arrest patients either during simultaneous percutaneous coronary intervention or as a bridge to other therapies. LUCAS was launched in 2003 and is today available in over 40 markets globally.
About Physio-Control
Physio-Control, Inc. is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. The company operates in over 100 countries and is the world’s leading provider of professional emergency medical response solutions that predict or intervene in life threatening emergencies. To learn more visit www.physio-control.com, or connect with us at www.facebook.com/physiocontrolinc, www.linkedin.com/company/physio-control-inc, or @PhysioControl.
