Union donates five mechanical chest compression devices to Sask. Health Authority

A donation of five mechanical chest compression devices from a Saskatchewan health-care union could lead to better outcomes for patients receiving emergency care in Beauval, Esterhazy, Estevan, La Loche and Weyburn.

The Health Science Association of Saskatchewan – which represents more than 4,400 paramedics and specialized health-care workers across the province – donated the machines to the Saskatchewan Health Authority. The five LUCAS 3.1 devices perform chest compressions at the correct rate and depth in order to improve the quality of CPR during cardiac arrest, while freeing up paramedics and other workers to focus on other tasks like airway management, administering medication and co-ordinating the response at the scene of an emergency.

Read more:

• Family member questioned after Rob Reiner and his wife found dead in L.A.: AP source
• What to know about the attack on the Hannukah festival in Australia that killed 15 people
• Inflation steady at 2.2% in November despite grocery price hike

The health authority said the five devices – valued at more than a total of $100,000 – will be especially valuable while patients are being transported over long distances, or in rural areas where staff may be in short supply. The five communities where the devices will be used were identified based on data around cardiac arrests and call volumes, the health authority noted, and the new machines will be up and running in the coming weeks.

“Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan is proud to support rural emergency medical services with this donation,” Karen Schmid, the association’s president, said in a statement.

“Paramedics in rural communities provide critical, life-saving care, often under challenging circumstances and over long travel distances.”

“The LUCAS devices support our teams by delivering consistent, high-quality chest compressions, essentially acting as an extra set of hands during CPR,” added Rod MacKenzie, the health authority’s executive director for provincial clinical and suppot services.

“They also enhance provider safety by reducing the need for staff to perform manual compressions for prolonged periods, allowing paramedics to focus on other critical aspects of patient care.”