Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter has a little help from non-stop CPR machine

Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter base manager Graeme Spiers (left) and critical care flight paramedic Schalk van der Merwe with the lightweight and compact machine. It provides high-quality chest compressions for patients in cardiac arrest. Photo / Judith Lacy

In his books, Palmerston North pathologist Cynric Temple-Camp pays tribute to the rescue helicopter he can see from his office and pledges royalties from the books to the service.

In The Quick and the Dead, he wrote: “The familiar beat of the helicopters of this magnificent service never fails to make us look up and wonder what has happened and upon what errand of mercy they are embarking.”

The crew of the Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter are not all two-legged, with Lucas providing an extra pair of hands.

Lucas’ full name is Stryker Lucas, a mechanical CPR machine.

It cost nearly $40,000 and was funded by the Lindsay Foundation.

Base manager and crewman Graeme Spiers says the machine is a game-changer for the rescue service and safer for the patient.

Undertaking manual CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) while in a helicopter can be incredibly challenging, due to the movement of the aircraft and the limited space to work.

CPR machines provide a high accuracy rate in compressions on a patient and allow paramedics to provide additional treatment.

The carbon-fibre backplate is radio-translucent, which means it can remain in place during X-rays.

The machine’s battery lasts 45 minutes and comes with a backup.

Critical care flight paramedic Schalk van der Merwe says it is an excellent piece of equipment. If you want to call yourself a modern service, you need modern equipment and this is it.

Medical professionals can undertake manual CPR for about two minutes and then need a rest. At the start, they could go longer but the more they do it the more the quality reduces as they get tired.

CPR can be used if someone has stopped breathing or their heart has stopped, such as in a cardiac arrest, when the heart suddenly stops beating.

The $40,000 CPR machine provides an extra pair of hands for helicopter rescue crews.

Van der Merwe has been an intensive care paramedic for more than 20 years and has worked in Namibia, Angola, South Africa and Qatar. He moved to Palmerston North in March 2021.

He says it is a safe place to live and he loves going hunting for Palmy Rocks with his family.