Watch CBS News

New Robot May Help Save Lives In PG County

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- In an emergency situation like a heart attack, it's all hands on deck. Now firefighters in Prince George's County are getting help from a robot.

Jessica Kartalija has more.

"Every second counts" when someone is having a heart attack, said Captain Roland Berg.

Berg says emergency responders in Prince George's County will now be getting CPR assistance from a robot.

"In the past, all we could do was swap out providers. One provider would do CPR, then we would swap out another provider," said Berg. "With this thing, people are seeing the resuscitation rates double---and in some cases triple---as much."

Medics doing chest compression now have help.

"Fatigue and I will be able to concentrate on advanced life support," said one medic.

The fire department spent $3 million to buy 50 of the robots.

"Medics here in Prince George's County typically respond to five cardiac arrests per day so with the new Lucas-2, you can imagine how many lives could potentially be saved," Berg said.

The Lucas-2 delivers compressions to a patient's chest at exactly the right rhythm while reducing the number of injuries to medics.

"It keeps your firefighters safe, absolutely. It's a win-win for everybody. It keeps our providers safe while providing quality service to the citizens of the county," Berg said.

Every ambulance in Prince George's County will get the Lucas-2 device. Providers will begin training at the start of the new year.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.