W. Midlands NHS Ambulance Service Expands with ZOLL Defibrillators

July 28, 2011—CHELMSFORD, MASS.- ZOLL Medical Corporation (Nasdaq GS: ZOLL), a manufacturer of resuscitation devices and related software solutions, today announced that the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) NHS Trust in the U.K. has expanded its ongoing relationship with the Company with a purchase valued at nearly $900,000 (U.S.) for 58 ZOLL E Series® and 12 AED Pros®.  

This latest order brings the total to more than 700 professional ZOLL defibrillators in use by the award-winning ambulance service. Over the past 10 years, ZOLL has supplied WMAS with ZOLL M Series® defibrillators, and more recently WMAS began installing the E Series and AED Pros on its emergency vehicles.  The new E Series units will be placed on new WMAS front line ambulances and rapid response vehicles (RRVs).

Every second is critical when we treat a victim of cardiac arrest.  Defibrillators provide life-saving technology so that we can offer the best critical care possible and do everything we can to help a patient survive,” said Mark Gough, WMAS Service Delivery Director. “We work incredibly hard to get a response to the patient in under four minutes so that we can get the full benefit of a defibrillator.”   

This focus has seen the number of patients who have suffered a cardiac arrest and survived rise markedly in recent years.  In the West Midlands, almost 9% of patients who have suffered a cardiac arrest are discharged from hospital.  Although this is a significant improvement over earlier survival rates, we are working hard to improve this further.  Each one of these patients would have died had it not been for a defibrillator. They are now able to spend time with their family and friends—time that they would not otherwise have had,” Gough said.

It’s an honor that WMAS, one of Britain’s top-performing emergency services, continues to select ZOLL to help improve survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest,” said Jonathan A. Rennert,  President of ZOLL.  “Having been acknowledged time and again for delivering the best in critical care, West Midlands is indeed a valued customer.”

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest  

SCA, an abrupt disruption of the heart’s function, which causes a lack of blood flow to vital organs, claims more than 200,000 lives each year in the United Kingdom. It is the leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning. Currently, 95 percent of SCA victims do not survive.

About the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) NHS Trust

West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has been recognized consistently as one of the highest performing regional trusts in the United Kingdom. This year, WMAS was honored with two Emergency Services Awards, and in 2010 was named Ambulance Service of the Year by Health Services Journal. Earlier, the Ambulance Service Institute honored WMAS as Ambulance Service of the Year for 2007, 2008 and 2009. The service, which covers the West Midlands region, began operations on July 1, 2006.  It serves a population of 5.3 million people in a geographical area of approximately 5,000 square miles encompassing Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Coventry, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country.  The trust employs a staff of over 4,000, which operates 53 ambulance stations with a fleet of over 850 vehicles.

About ZOLL Medical Corporation

ZOLL Medical Corporation develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and monitoring, circulation and CPR feedback, data management, fluid resuscitation, and therapeutic temperature management, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, and lay rescuers treat victims needing resuscitation and critical care.

A NASDAQ Global Select company and a Forbes 100 Most Trustworthy Company in 2007, 2008, and 2009, ZOLL develops and manufactures its products in the United States, in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. More than 400 direct sales and service representatives, 1,100 business partners, and 200 independent representatives serve our customers in over 140 countries around the globe. 

For more information, visit
www.zoll.com.

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