From the May 2015 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


“That sometimes involves walking around the hospital checking, which we think is unsustainable so we’re pushing to automate that process.” By connecting the devices to the network, a Healthcare Technology Management specialist could look and see that perhaps two of the several hundred defibrillators did not do their scheduled self-check, so he could go and check on those instead of checking all of them.

Getting that defibrillator data integrated into the EMR is also a priority. Zoll is starting to package its data regarding the treatment someone received for cardiac arrest in an HL7 format so that it can integrate into the record. Giving the cardiologist access to that data— namely, the initial first rhythm at the time of presenting— can have a significant impact on the course of treatment.


Tomorrow’s defibrillators
CPR trained individuals can register through an app called PulsePoint to tell them when a cardiac arrest has been reported in close proximity. The app also identifies the location of the nearest defibrillator. According to White, technology like that will continue to catch on until there will become a universal standard for reporting the location of an AED. He also expects tomorrow’s AEDs to preserve that crucial first rhythm data and allows it to be rolled up into the patient’s EMR and accessible by the advising physician.

Although some EMS services today will send interns out to retrieve the AED and record that data, White says it is not a common practice. “What we really want to do at Zoll is advance chest compression technology to the point where rescuers do not need to stop chest compression,” says White. Using today’s defibrillators you have to stop chest compression in order for the device to accurately analyze rhythm.

Boston Scientific’s Stein points out that there are still more cardiac arrests among people who do not have an indication for a defibrillator than there are for those who do have an indication for a defibrillator. He says, “Advancing research on who should get these devices is still critically important.”

“Disparities in access to defibrillators from country to country, and even in the U.S., based on gender and race are very concerning,” says Stein, who adds individually programming these systems for the needs of the patient and extending battery life in the interest of reducing future surgeries, among other issues that challenge defibrillators.

The low survival rates for cardiac arrest – and the fact that they have not shown significant signs of improving – can render a sense of futility. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t reasons for being optimistic. White says a patient in Arizona is three times more likely to survive cardiac arrest. There are also hospitals throughout the world that pride themselves on uncommonly high success rates. Knowing those kinds of success rates are achievable justify the continued drive to innovate.

“Technology is one piece of the puzzle but it’s a cultural thing too, and the good news is that we know we can do better,” says White.

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May 2015 Magazine

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