History
Milestones in the history of LUCAS™ Chest Compression System
2011
In the end of February, Medtronic acquires Jolife AB. Jolife is integrated into Physio-Control, a division of Medtronic.
During the spring, the interim analysis of the randomized, multicenter LINC study – LUCAS in Cardiac arrest - is accomplished and the study continues according to plan.
Based on the new guidelines, a new software version for LUCAS™2 – called software version 2.1 - is launched.
In mid-November, Medtronic announces that Bain Capital – a leading global private investment firm – has agreed to acquire Physio-Control from Medtronic. This means that Physio-Control will become a stand-alone company with an increased focus on emergency medicine.
2010
In April LUCAS™2 is launched in Japan.
In the US LUCAS™2 wins the Medical Design Excellence Award.
Global sales of LUCAS™ increase rapidly with doubled volumes for the third year in a row.
At the TCT congress in Washington, a life-saving LUCAS™ case is awarded. It shows how transportation, mechanical CPR and angioplasty saved a cardiac arrest patient’s life.
In the end of October, the guidelines for CPR are presented by the American Heart Association and European Resuscitation Council. The guidelines continue to put strong emphasis on the need of quality CPR with a minimum of interruptions to improve patient outcomes. LUCAS™ is recommended for use in situations where manual CPR is difficult to provide manually (AHA class IIb) and during PCI in the cath lab (AHA class IIa).
2009
In March, sales of LUCAS™1 (V2) start in Japan after having received Shonin approval.
The global LUCAS™ distribution contract with Physio-Control, Inc., a division within Medtronic Inc., is renewed.
During the summer 2009, the new generation and battery operated LUCAS 2 is successfully launched globally.
At EMS Expo – a major EMS show in the US – LUCAS™2 is awarded Top Ten Innovations of the year.
Two new clinical publications show that LUCAS™ significantly improves ETCO2 values – a marker for good circulation - in pre-hospital cardiac arrest patients and that cath lab patients with refractory cardiac arrest, that previously has been close to impossible to save, can now be saved with the help of LUCAS™.
2008
Allina Medical Systems in Minnesota is one of the first emergency response systems to make a larger implementation of LUCAS in the US, and local media report amazing save stories. Several more US customers evaluate LUCAS in their systems.
15 new abstracts on the use of LUCAS are presented - most of them at the European Resuscitation Meeting in Ghent in May. All point in one direction – LUCAS is a safe and effective tool for resuscitation, appreciated by its users.
The LINC study – LUCAS in Cardiac arrest - starts in six sites in Northern Europe. This is a randomized multicenter study on LUCAS CPR versus manual CPR with the aim to include 2500 patients during the next couple of years and to find out if LUCAS increases short term survival as well as long term survival.
In October Jolife is ranked at 24th position on Sweden Technology Fast 50 list. Sweden Technology Fast 50 is a ranking of Sweden’s fastest-growing companies in a wide range of technological fields, from IT to life science, and is organized by Deloitte and the Swedish Association for Risk Capital (Svenska Riskkapitalföreningen).
2007
The global LUCAS™ distribution contract with Physio-Control, Inc., a division within Medtronic Ltd., is renewed.
International expansion continues; LUCAS™ is introduced in several countries. During the summer, LUCAS™ is launched in the US where ambulance services as well as experimental laboratories start evaluate the device.
In addition to emergency medicine professionals, Jolife introduces LUCAS™ specifically to the group of interventional cardiologists at two key congresses; the PCR07 and TCT07. LUCAS™ receives a great interest and positions itself as a useful tool in the case of cardiac arrest on the cath lab table.
During the year, new positive studies are published or presented at congresses. These confirm that LUCAS™ has the same safety profile as manual CPR, that defibrillation can be done effectively during LUCAS™ compressions and that LUCAS™ can be used in the cath lab during angiography and treatment of coronary arteries. A 150 patient data series from Brugmann University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium indicate that LUCAS™ more than doubles the chances of short term survival.
2006
Wales Ambulance Services in the UK acquires 155 LUCAS™ to equip their ambulances.
In May, LUCAS™ wins the prestigious Grand Design Award against stiff competition from Scania Trucks. Among previous winners of this prize are SonyEricsson with its T610 mobile phone and Volvo with its XJ90 SUV.
In August, the first controlled randomized study on LUCAS™ is published in the Journal of Resuscitation (Axelsson et al, 2006). The study, conducted in Gothenburg, Sweden, confirms that LUCAS™ is safe to use, frees rescuers for other tasks and increases safety during transport.
A new version of LUCAS™ (V2) is developed. The new device allows for bigger patients, has lower air consumption, makes less noise and is easier to manufacture and service.
In September, the new LUCAS™ V2 US receives a 510k clearance from the FDA, which is the starting point for sales in the US.
In November, the Swedish National Register (J Herlitz) shows that the city of Lund has the highest survival rate in Sweden with 13.7%, compared with the Swedish average of 7.3 %. This is good news since the ambulance service in Region Skåne and the city of Lund was one of the first LUCAS™ customers. This confirms the ability of the LUCAS™ Chest Compressions System to be part of a treatment algorithm that saves more lives.
2005
Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust in the UK equips all its 87 vehicles with LUCAS™.
In November, the international guidelines for resuscitation strengthen the significance of chest compressions before defibrillation. This is a paradigm shift in cardiac arrest treatment and as such a very important step for Jolife and mechanical chest compressions, as it emphasizes the need for uninterrupted quality compressions.
2004
During the spring, LUCAS™ devices are sold to the ambulance services in Pool and Bournemouth in the South of the UK. The positive experiences are later published in the British Journal of Resuscitation by paramedics David Halliwell and Martin Box in Dorset.
Gotland, the biggest island of Sweden, is the first region to install LUCAS™ in their Helicopter Rescue Service as well as in the ambulances.
Jolife signs a distribution agreement with Medtronic - Emergency Response Systems (MERS), regarding the global exclusive distribution of LUCAS™.
2003
The two life science investors Innovationskapital and CapMan become shareholders in the company.
The first industrialized version of LUCAS™, which eventually will be sold to many customers in primarily Scandinavia and the UK, is CE marked.
In December, LUCAS™ devices are sold to Region Skåne in the South of Sweden. During the following two years, LUCAS™ is placed in all of their 60 ambulances, making Region Skåne a leading user of LUCAS™.
2002
A first version of the device, now labelled LUCAS™ Chest Compression System and with similar appearance to later versions, is CE marked and thereby approved for the European market. Production commences.
The first journal article on LUCAS™ is published by Prof. Stig Steen. It shows that LUCAS™ creates higher blood flow to vital organs compared to manual CPR and that the device is highly appreciated by the first pilot trials with test users.
2001
In May, the device wins a construction and design prize awarded by NUTEK. In August it is awarded with Excellent Swedish Design.
2000
As Jostra decides to focus on heart surgery, the chest compression device is transferred into a new company called Jolife AB.
1998
After Willy Vistung unfortunately passes away, Professor Stig Steen takes on the device and brings it to the Swedish medical device company Jostra who decides to take on the promising project.
1996
Willy Vistung approaches Professor Stig Steen at the University Hospital in Lund, Sweden, with the device, which is the start of animal testing and further development.
1991
Norwegian paramedic Willy Vistung comes up with the idea of a mechanical chest compression device as he witnesses an attempt to do CPR on a patient lying on a stretcher.
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