ZOLL Medical Corporation Release: CIRC (Circulation Improving Resuscitation Care) Trial Confirms Link between High-Quality CPR and Improved Survival from Sudden Cardiac Arrest
The trial commenced in 2007 and enrolled 4,231 patients. The principal investigator for the trial was Lars Wik, M.D., Ph.D., Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. The trial was an international effort with trial sites in the United States, Austria, and The Netherlands. More than 500 ZOLL AutoPulse units were deployed and more than 5,000 medics were trained on the use of the device.
One of the unique facets of the trial’s design was a focus on the delivery of high-quality manual CPR. Investigators closely tracked CPR fraction, the percentage of time that compressions are being delivered during the resuscitations, as a marker of CPR quality. The CPR fractions reported in both arms of the trial were very high for a large, multicenter prospectively randomized study. The resulting overall survival rate in the CIRC trial was also comparatively higher.
“The CIRC trial confirms the link between high-quality CPR and survival from cardiac arrest,” said Richard A. Packer, CEO of ZOLL. “It tells us EMS services must employ a strategy to improve CPR. The AutoPulse provides a proven alternative to the significant incremental investments in training, personnel, and processes required to achieve the quality of manual CPR delivered during the trial.”
The high-quality CPR reported resulted from a rigorous study design previously reported in the Journal of Resuscitation during 2010. The protocol incorporated an intensive training program that was uniformly delivered to caregivers at all participating sites. It focused on minimizing hands-off time, and was built on foundation of frequent re-training.
“It was important to ensure that the quality of compressions in the manual control arm was high,” said Dr. Wik. “Comparing load-distributing band CPR against manual compressions of a poor or unknown quality would undermine the integrity and clinical usefulness of the findings.”
“The significance of the CIRC trial goes beyond the promise of these findings,” Packer said. “Its methodology points to how pre-hospital research should be conducted from this point forward. In light of the impact of CPR quality on survival, it would suggest it might be shortsighted to evaluate the impact of any resuscitation intervention in the absence of understanding the quality of compressions delivered.”
Manual CPR is the standard for providing temporary circulatory support and oxygen delivery during cardiac arrest and has the highest treatment recommendation (Class I) in the American Heart Association Guidelines. However, delivery of manual CPR is often inconsistent. Significant decreases in quality have been seen after as little as one minute. The physical challenges associated with providing consistent manual CPR are recognized as a key factor limiting CPR quality. Mechanical chest compression devices have been developed to overcome the difficulties in consistent performance of manual CPR.
Out-of-hospital SCA is a substantial public health problem killing approximately 325,000 persons each year in the U.S. and Canada alone, and as many as a million worldwide. Mortality in most communities exceeds 90 percent, although improvements in resuscitation practices could potentially save as many as half of these victims.
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, ZOLL was designated in 2011 as one of Forbes Top 100 Small Public Companies in America with annual revenues under $1 billion. 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, our belief regarding growth in the capital equipment market, 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. 269 Mill Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824-4105. AutoPulse and ZOLL are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All product names are the property of their respective owners.
Contact:. .INVESTOR CONTACT: ZOLL Medical Corporation A. Ernest Whiton, +1 978-421-9655 Chief Financial Officer or MEDIA CONTACT: ZOLL Medical Corporation Diane Egan, +1 978-421-9637 degan@zoll.com
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