Robot Paramedic Is Saving Lives By Giving CPR To Patients In Ambulances

An ambulance service in the UK is making use of a ¡®robot paramedic¡¯ that carries out chest compressions on patients for the first time and helps free the load while the emergency team can look at other vital treatments for saving a patient¡¯s life.

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The robot is called LUCAS 3 and it is being equipped by the South Central Ambulance Service. According to the spokesperson for SCAS, as soon as the paramedics arrive and begin CPR or take over from someone else offering CPR, the transition from manual compressions to LUCAS can be done in a matter of seven seconds, while allowing continuous compressions.

LUCAS uses Bluetooth to allow configuration of the compression rate, depth and alerts based on an organisation¡¯s resuscitation guidelines.

According to Dr John Black, medical director at SCAS explained, in a statement to Daily Mail, ¡°We know that delivering high quality and uninterrupted chest compressions in cardiac arrest is one of the major determinants of survival to hospital discharge but it can be very challenging for a number of reasons.¡±

He states how paramedics or people who are performing CPR become fatigued over time which affects the rate and quality of compressions. Moreover, at times, patients are required to be moved from certain locations, which negatively affects the process.

Black added that even when paramedics are performing CPR unrestrained while the ambulance is rushing to the hospital, it puts an immense risk on the lives of the paramedics.

However, devices like LUCAS 3 don't fatigue or change the delivery in any way, offering high-quality CPR while allowing the paramedics to focus on other aspects of patient care.

According to Black, ¡°It ultimately acts as a robotic third crew member for our teams.¡±

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South Central Ambulance Charity has funded 28 LUCAS 3 robots to support crews across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire. The robot doesn¡¯t come cheap though as they¡¯re priced at $16,929 each.

Professor Charles Deakin, divisional medical director for SCAS and lead for resuscitation, added, ¡°The LUCAS device transforms the management at a cardiac arrest and allows paramedics to focus on the key aspects of clinical care. It will be an invaluable part of the team and contribute to the already outstanding results that SCAS have achieved in saving the lives of these patients.¡±