Mattress to Double the Effectiveness of CPR Designed by MTU Students

A special mattress that can make cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) nearly twice as effective as an ordinary hospital mattress has been devised by students at Michigan Technological University (MTU).

The young inventors have found that the mattress facilitates faster and more effective CPR, and are working towards releasing it in the market.

Heart Attack - Overview
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Other names for heart attack include acute myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and coronary occlusion.

A standard hospital mattress, with six or more inches of foam, is pliable and cushiony.

Pushing down to administer CPR is like pushing on a big sponge, which makes the force to go into the mattress, and not the body lying on it.

But the new mattress has solved this problem, as it could be easily made firm by sucking the air out of the foam by just pushing button.

CPR - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
CPR or CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION can restore function of the heart and lungs due to any condition that causes the heart to come to a stop. This usually happens after a massive heart-attack.

It makes use of some tubing, a little motor and a vacuum pump, and takes just ten seconds to work.

The researchers observed that only 43 percent of the CPR load winds up reaching the heart with a standard mattress, and it rises to 52 percent with a board underneath the mattress.

Teens can Perform CPR as Well as Adults and Should Be Taught from an Early Age
Thirteen year olds can perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as well as adults.

But with the MTU students' design, it leaps to 81 percent.

One of the students in the team has founded a company, and is working to get this mattress into hospitals, especially in emergency rooms.

Better Understanding of CPR and Outcomes Needed in Hospitalized Patients
A University of Iowa study has shown that many hospitalized patients overestimate their chance of surviving an in-hospital cardiac arrest

The students expect to have a patent by September 2009, and have been talking with a number of companies that have experience bringing medical products to market.

Source-ANI
RAS