Fire Chief Chris Kaufmann
LUCAS Chest Compression Device Facts Sheet
- The LUCAS Chest Compression System is designed to deliver uninterrupted chest compressions at a consistent rate and depth
- It facilitates consistent blood flow from the moment it is turned on, helping to improve a patient’s chance for survival
- It can be applied in as little as 20 seconds and frees up more hands to perform other life-saving functions
- When a patient has to be carried downstairs or is ready to be put into the ambulance, the LUCAS device will allow for uninterrupted chest compressions
- Studies have shown rescuers fatigue after only 2 minutes of manual CPR. Once fatigued, rate and depth of compressions decrease
- St. Tammany Fire District #1 put its first LUCAS device in service on November 12, 2014 at our busiest fire station
- The LUCAS device cost $14,500 and comes with two 45 minute rechargeable batteries
- We currently own one LUCAS device with plans to purchase four additional devices in the first quarter of 2015
- We have 95 EMTs, 11 Paramedics, and 35 First Responders on the department
- All emergency response personnel have been trained on how to use the LUCAS device
- On average, we have 32 EMTs and 3 Paramedics working every day
- Since being put into service, the device has been used on 13 cardiac arrest patients. We successfully restored a pulse in 29 percent of those patients.
- In 2014, we treated 83 patients in cardiac arrest (without a LUCAS device) and restored a pulse in 14 percent of those patients
- There are almost 424,000 EMS-assessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) each year in the United States
- The national average for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests survival rate is 10.6 percent (without a LUCAS device)
For more information about St. Tammany Fire Protection District #1 visit us at www.slidellfire.org or follow us on Facebook – St. Tammany Fire District #1 and Twitter – @SlidellFire_PIO
For out YouTube Channel Video of this Demo, click here.
Chad Duffaut
Chief of Fire Prevention/PIO
Cell: (985) 960-0976
