Raising standards
going global

CPR is an emergency procedure for people in cardiac or respiratory arrest. CPR is performed by both First-Aiders, (for example in the workplace, swimming pools and sports/leisure facilities), and by qualified medical practitioners.

CPR involves rhythmic pressing on the patient’s chest to pump blood through the heart, and involves the rescuer exhaling into the patient to ventilate the lungs and pass oxygen in to the blood.

Critical to this techniques is positioning the patients head to establish an open and straight wind pipe.

IDC reviewed current best practice with first-aiders and training staff to identify the key product needs and experimented with a number of rigs to test support profiles that positioned the head and neck correctly.

A range of concepts were developed, focusing on integrating the geometry into a convenient form which could be easily handled and slid into position by rescuers.

The device was designed to include a step by step guide through the process with visual and spoken instructions, plus a metronome to aid timing of the compressions. IDC developed a soft gentle form for human contours, which also forms the basis of a design direction that IDC is developing for XFT products.

The final device featured a soft-touch finish to create a more comfortable surface for the casualty’s head and neck, and storage for masks to prevent bodily contact between rescuer and casualty.

By improving design and manufacturing quality, IDC was able to develop a highly successful product with global appeal.