Project Description: 

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is the first and most important line of response for treating cardiac arrest. Based on the American Heart Association standards, a quality compression should be 1.5-2 inches deep, which corresponds to between 100-120 pounds of force. Compressions should be performed at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute for up to 20 minutes or until resuscitation. This amount of force at the required rate for that length of time can be exceedingly difficult for a rescuer, especially those with a small physique and usually requires switching off between rescuers every couple of minutes. In addition, generally rescuers don’t have any indication of whether they are performing compressions deep or fast enough. Research studies have shown that real time feedback on CPR quality nearly doubled survival rates from cardiac arrest. Our device addresses the difficulty healthcare professionals face while performing quality CPR by helping to mitigate physical limitations and providing real time assessment of CPR quality. The IceCap device provides an inexpensive and effective solution to the consistent quality compression problem faced by CPR providers by integrating useful aspects of devices on the market with our novel body-weight assisted compression pump design.