ReFlo: Maintaining blood flow during a cardiac emergency.

During a cardiac event, the heart’s ability to pump around 30ml of blood maybe decreased or stopped. Heart failure can occur for many reasons and could range from a minor event to a major event such as a sudden cardiac arrest where the patient suffers a gradual or an abrupt loss of pulse caused by the unexpected failure in the heart's ability to effectively pump blood to the body. Over 600,000 times a year, this happens in the US where patient loses pulse, then consciousness, and finally the ability to breathe within a very short period of time. Without immediate treatment, a high percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims will die due to the need of a steady supply of oxygenated blood to the heart and brain.

My simple compression / decompression device will create artificial blood circulation during a cardiac event. The device is simple enough to be handled by untrained individuals or by the victim itself. Today, if a person’s heart malfunctions, CPR or defibrillation are the only options. The patient has to wait until emergency medical treatment shows up and many times brain damage occurs due to lack of help. If help is available and CPR is performed, it requires about one hundred (100) chest compression per minute continuously until the heart resumes activity or the patient receives medical treatment. This intense activity can only be sustained for a brief period of time of the CPR provider.

As a result of this discovery, the use of my device will result in artificial blood circulation during a cardiac event and will increase the chances of survival of the patient. The forced blood circulation created by this invention(s) will create circulation by forcing the movement of the approximately 100 ml of blood available in the legs through the body. This simple compression device operates with direct power of batteries by appliying and removing pressure repeatedly to the legs. Blood circulation is achieved by the vein valves preventing back-flow and forcing arterial blood towards the heart. This is a safe procedure and will not cause adverse effects.

The heart as any muscle can be without blood supply for an extended period of time and with this device the brain and organs will survive until patient is transported to a medical facility and undergo a (i.e. surgery) to re-establish the blood flow to the heart that will in turn allow it to start pumping again.

The physiological details of this idea have been confirmed by doctors. My goal is to keep the cost of this device available to the general public and without prescription as it can be deemed as an external massage equipment. I apologize for this last minute submission but if awarded, I will market this device and will not leave us without any option but waiting for help during a heart attack.