South Central Ambulance Service has become the first to roll out a new device that can automatically perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a patient. The state-of-the-art technology, known as LUCAS 3, is a mechanical system that can deliver high quality chest compressions on a consistent basis from the moment crews arrive on scene, and throughout a patient’s journey to hospital without interruption. This will allow the paramedics to carry out other vital interventions. Medical Director at SCAS, John Black, said: “We know that delivering high quality and uninterrupted chest compressions in cardiac arrest is one of the major determinants of survival to hospital discharge but it can be very challenging for a number of reasons.