PRESS RELEASE MOBILE, AL—USA Health University Hospital announced April 15 that it is now equipped with the LUCAS Chest Compression System, a battery-powered device that performs automated chest compressions during CPR. In the COVID-19 era, manual chest compressions on patients in cardiac arrest can be dangerous for healthcare staff performing the procedure, according to a release. “The closeness to patients during CPR increases the danger of aerosol spread of virus,” said Stephen Bowden, MD, director of emergency department operations at University Hospital and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. “The ability to stand aside and not be directly exposed while performing chest compressions greatly reduces the chance of infection.”