Staff from Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital to perform 12 hours of non-stop CPR as part of sponsored fundraising initiative to get life-saving LUCAS machine

Hospital staff will take turns performing non-stop CPR for 12 hours as part of a fundraising initiative for new life-saving equipment.

Members of the Critical Care Outreach Team, the Hospital at Night Team, the Resuscitation Team and the Intensive Care Unit Team from the Pilgrim Hospital, in Boston, are holding a sponsored ‘CPR-a-thon’ to fund a new LUCAS CPR Chest Compression System, a machine that performs mechanical chest compressions if a person has a cardiac arrest and CPR is prolonged.

The idea came about as the hospital’s current LUCAS is kept within the Emergency Department which on occasions has meant it has not been available to the hospital.

Hayley Head, the advanced clinical practitioner in critical care, said: “We can perform CPR for 90 minutes, whilst reversing the cause of a cardiac arrest.

“This can be tremendously demanding, both mentally and physically, for everyone involved.

“LUCAS is able to maintain the rhythm and pressure needed to give patients the best possible chance of survival and also the best chance of recovery.

“With the support of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity, we are hoping to raise the funds to purchase a second machine.

“This will then be used as needed across many of the hospital wards.”

The 15 staff members will be performing two hours of CPR on a mannequin each in teams of four in the Outpatients Department waiting room from 8am to 8pm on Friday, April 26.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals charity fundraiser, Gary Burr, added: “Our teams do an amazing job caring for our patients.

“We are so proud to support this great team and event that will not only raise awareness but also funds to help our colleagues to continue saving lives.

“A second LUCAS machine will provide enhanced care for our patients.”