Philips Announces Its Portfolio of Lifesaving Solutions Supports New American Heart Association 2010 CPR and ECC Guidelines

ANDOVER, Mass., Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHI), a worldwide leader in defibrillation technology, today announced that its entire line of emergency care and resuscitation solutions supports the newly updated American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC).  The European Resuscitation Council (ERC) has also released its Guidelines for Resuscitation 2010 and Philips supports those as well.  

The 2010 Guidelines reaffirm many of the recommendations in the 2005 Guidelines and highlight the importance of coordinating multiple therapies to help save lives from cardiac events.  They emphasize high quality CPR, chest compressions for untrained rescuers, current-based defibrillation, effective CO2 monitoring and successful post-resuscitation care, including therapeutic hypothermia.

Defibrillators treat the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), an electrical malfunction of the heart that causes it to beat erratically rather than pump in a normal rhythm. SCA is a leading cause of death around the world.  In the United States, SCA claims more than 325,000 lives each year – or nearly 900 Americans a day.(1) In Europe, SCA is responsible for more than 60 percent of adult deaths from coronary heart disease.(2)  For every minute that goes by without defibrillation, a cardiac arrest victim's chances of survival decrease by about 10 percent.(3)

"Philips technologies were developed with the insight that the science behind resuscitation is constantly evolving and our products need to be flexible in order to make updates and adjustments easily," said Derek Smith, senior vice president and general manager, Therapeutic Care, Philips Healthcare.  "We fully support the intent of the Guidelines which is in sync with our mission of improving and saving lives."  

Philips Emergency Care and Resuscitation Solutions portfolio includes innovative advanced life support defibrillator/monitors, industry-leading automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and InnerCool, the only endovascular and surface-based cooling and warming systems for inducing therapeutic hypothermia.  

Through its approach to evidence-based product innovation, Philips has established a history of anticipating and informing Guideline recommendations.  For example:

• Philips provided ground-breaking work in Smart Biphasic research which contributed to the Guidelines 2000 Class IIa recommendation for low-energy biphasic external defibrillation as the "standard of care" and "intervention of choice".  
• The company introduced an AED indication for infants and children in 2001, before a Guidelines 2005 recommendation for AED pediatric defibrillation, and a Guidelines 2010 allowance for AED use on infants.
• Prior to a 2005 recommendation to minimize time to shock after the last compression, Philips had already added a Quick Shock feature to all Philips HeartStart AEDs which delivers therapy in just eight seconds after chest compressions are stopped.
• In 2005, Philips made the decision to end CPR coaching intervals with compressions instead of breaths that anticipated a Guidelines 2010 recommendation of same.
• Research conducted using the HeartStart MRx monitor/defibrillator with Q-CPR™ technology by Laerdal helped shape a Guidelines 2010 recommendation for CPR measurement, feedback, and retrospective analysis.  The digital Q-CPR meter enables cardiac resuscitation responders to rapidly adjust performance with real-time feedback for each compression, which is displayed directly at patient chest level.

AHA and ERC Guidelines for CPR and ECC are revised every five years.  Guidelines are updated based on an international evidence evaluation process, which involves hundreds of international resuscitation scientists and experts who evaluate, discuss and debate thousands of peer reviewed publications.  For more information about the 2010 Guidelines, please visit the AHA U.S. Guidelines website at www.heart.org/ECCguidelines or the ERC European Guidelines website at www.cprguidelines.eu/2010.

For more information about Philips Healthcare Emergency Care and Resuscitation Solutions, please visit: www.philips.com/resuscitation.

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified Health and Well-being company, focused on improving people's lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of "sense and simplicity". Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs more than 118,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of $32.3 billion in 2009, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in flat TV, male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

(1)  American Heart Association. Know the Facts, Get the Stats 2007. Page 1.

(2)  Nolan, J., Soar, J., et al. European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2010 Section 1. Executive Summary. Resuscitation (2010). 81:1222.  

(3)  American Heart Association. The Links in the Chain of Survival. Last accessed online November 4, 2010 at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3012016

SOURCE Royal Philips Electronics