A cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) device developed at Hitit University has received design registration from the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT).
The design process for the CPR device, which allows for more effective CPR while maintaining force, has been successfully completed. Designed by Hitit University faculty members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Çalmaz, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gülay Yılmazel, and Prof. Dr. Ali Kemal Erenler, the invention allows for CPR to be performed while maintaining force even if the duration of the massage is extended.
By eliminating finger contact with the patient and allowing force to remain solely on the heel of the hand, the device will also alleviate potential doubts and concerns regarding hand placement for practitioners learning or performing CPR for the first time.
Speaking about the developed device, Dr. Ayşe Çalmaz, a lecturer at Hitit University's İskilip Vocational School, stated that they planned the device to maintain the effectiveness of CPR from beginning to end.
Explaining that an activity strip was created on the device to maintain the effectiveness of the massage, Çalmaz stated that the activity strip would be placed on a small protrusion located under the patient's sternum, allowing the practitioner to apply pressure from the shoulder in a 90-degree process.
Çalmaz continued, saying that the domed part on the apparatus was designed to ensure that the massage effect remains only on the heel of the hand, rather than spreading to the entire hand:
“In this way, the aim was to maintain the same effectiveness from the first minute until a response is received from the patient, and this was the most important goal of this invention. The apparatus, which facilitates the application of shoulder pressure by maintaining the hand position and keeping the arm upright, is an invention that allows the patient to maintain the intensity of the massage until they decide to end the cardiopulmonary resuscitation.”
Associate Professor Dr. Gülay Yılmazel from Hitit University Faculty of Health Sciences, who participated in the project, Gülay Yılmazel stated that according to the Turkish Statistical Institute's 2021 data, one in three deaths in Turkey is due to circulatory system diseases, with cardiovascular diseases being the most common, and that a significant proportion of deaths are due to cardiac arrest.
In her speech, Yılmazel emphasized the great importance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), saying, "Studies show that each minute of CPR initiated quickly and effectively increases the survival rate by 10 to 13 percent."
Prof. Dr. [Name], a faculty member at Hitit University Faculty of Medicine, who was involved in the development of the device. ... Ali Kemal Erenler stated, “Basic life support is the name given to the efforts to restart a heart that has stopped for any reason, using the available resources. This procedure has three fundamental components: early activation of the 112 emergency system, early use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), and effective, uninterrupted chest compressions (CPR). For CPR to be effective in both basic and advanced life support, it is crucial that it is performed in the correct location, at the correct frequency, at the correct depth, and in the correct hand position.”
Erenler emphasized that the heel of the hand should be used during CPR and that the palm and fingertips should avoid contact with the patient's chest as much as possible. He added, “However, in practice, we encounter some problems and errors in understanding this position. To minimize these errors, under the leadership of our professors Ayşe and Gülay, we decided to develop a device for both the public and healthcare professionals.”
