[Emergency physician and AutoPulse--a good duo in preclinical emergency services?: case example and report on experience].

Survival rates after cardiac arrest remain poor despite substantial efforts to advance the cardiopulmonary resuscitation algorithm in the last decades. Recent changes in the resuscitation guidelines in 2005 focused on minimizing interruptions during chest compressions. The aim to provide optimal chest compressions led to the development of automated mechanical chest compression devices, one of which is the AutoPulse resuscitation system. A case of successful use of the AutoPulse system in a 66-year-old patient with sudden cardiac arrest is presented and a review is given of more than 3 years experience in the routine use of this mechanical device for CPR in the emergency medical system in Bonn. Based on this experience, the AutoPulse system is considered to be a safe and effective technical advancement that under certain CPR conditions can be a helpful tool and provide an increased quality of chest compressions.