Paramedics with Oxford County EMS (Emergency Medical Services) are the first in North America to use a revolutionary new technology to successfully resuscitate a sudden cardiac arrest patient.

Oxford County EMS used ZOLL AutoPulse® Plus, a combined compression-defibrillation system by ZOLL Medical Corporation, to resuscitate an Oxford County man who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in Woodstock on February 25, 2012. 

Sudden cardiac arrest survivor Nicholas Visser was joined in Woodstock today by his DeJong Enterprises co-workers John Kiers, John VanderWall and Sebastian Chwalczynski, who called 911 and began delivering CPR, as well as the paramedics who responded to the emergency call: Ryan Hall, Kelly Hansen, Joe Vandermeer and Dan Fraser. Visser’s co-workers were presented with “save certificates” from Oxford County Warden Don McKay, Oxford County Public Health & Emergency Services Director Lynn Beath, Oxford County EMS Manager Joe Pember, and ZOLL Director of Canadian Operations Neil Johnston.

The AutoPulse® Plus system automatically administers CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) at the same time that paramedics deliver shocks to the heart through a defibrillator. Allowing paramedics to defibrillate a heart without stopping chest compressions improves chances of survival for sudden cardiac arrest victims, who typically have a 5% chance of survival outside of hospital.

An innovative provider of pre-hospital medicine, Oxford County EMS was the first in Canada to begin using ZOLL AutoPulse® automated CPR technology six years ago, and it is the first in North America to use the combined automated AutoPulse® Plus CPR-defibrillation system used on Visser. To begin using AutoPulse® Plus on emergency calls, Oxford County EMS worked with the Southwestern Ontario Regional Base Hospital Program to obtain approvals for the change in practice.

Investment in the new technology is part of the overall commitment to making Oxford County a heart-safe community. Under the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Restart Program, Oxford County EMS has installed more than 53 AEDs (automated external defibrillators) in public locations across the County and trained more than 500 people in CPR and AED use since 2007. Visit www.oxfordcounty.ca/ems to learn more.