A Life-Saving New Approach to Resuscitation

EPR is attempting to provide an opportunity to save the life of a loved one when CPR procedures fail by inducing rapid profound hypothermia. Our proprietary techniques and products are planned to be used in serious trauma cases, such as auto accidents, shootings, sudden cardiac arrest, and other medical emergencies. 

The goal of EPR is to provide an emergency preservation period of approximately 3+ hours to buy critical time for transport to an emergency room or trauma center, and then immediate medical/surgical interventions and repairs, followed by delayed resuscitation. EPR can provide a period of tolerance to ischemia (that is, a lack of, or need for, oxygen), thereby preventing cell death even when there is no heartbeat, no breathing, and no brain function. 

By inducing a state in which no oxygen delivery is required for 3+ hours, EPR enables transport to a hospital followed by immediate surgical repairs and medical interventions. After essential surgical repairs, the patient is rewarmed and resuscitated. 

EPR-Technologies, Emergency Preservation and Resuscitation (EPR), rapid profound hypothermia, and the ongoing clinical trial at the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland are well known in the medical trauma and emergency medicine communities. The lead trauma surgeon for the clinical trial, Dr. Samuel Tisherman, M.D., at Maryland Shock Trauma recently gave a “TEDx” talk about EPR. 

Our company’s products are in final prototyping stages, and we await completion of the EPR clinical trial to put FDA-approved EPR products and training materials on the market. 

EPR-Technologies is dedicated to the memory and vision of Dr. Peter Safar, “the father of cardiopulmonary resuscitation” (Source), for pioneering the idea of rapid profound hypothermia to advance emergency medical resuscitation capabilities in order “to save hearts and brains too good to die”. 

Too Many Lives Are Lost Annually Due to Failed CPR Attempts

The numbers for CPR success remain limited, at about 12% for out-of-hospital use and 24%-40% in-hospital (Source). For serious trauma leading to cardiac arrest, CPR only has a success rate of 5% at best (Source).

CPR is of particularly limited value to those victims whose cardiac arrest is a result of exsanguination (massive loss of blood) or sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).  

This is because the required surgery for quickly controlling massive blood loss cannot be performed in the field or even in trauma centers without sufficient time, so the victims generally die before they are transported to the nearest medical facility or before they receive definitive life-saving care. 

Similarly, the underlying causes leading to sudden cardiac arrest may not be easily reversed by CPR and defibrillation. Time is needed for a definitive intervention. Currently, if CPR doesn’t work immediately, there is no adequate alternative besides death. Our goal is to change that and provide another option for survival. 

Providing an Opportunity to Survive Failed CPR

EPR can provide the technology for immediate and targeted intervention that can isolate the heart, brain, and other vital organs to impose a state of clinical preservation, providing time for transport of the patient to a trauma center with specialized acute care and advanced medical/surgical intervention capabilities. 

We believe EPR is a revolutionary opportunity for survival for victims who are currently unrecoverable following:

1. Trauma and exsanguination cardiac arrest
2. SCA unresponsive to defibrillation
3. Massive stroke
4. Other medical conditions that require medical/surgical interventions

How EPR Saves Lives

We believe EPR represents a revolutionary opportunity for survival among victims when CPR fails following trauma and exsanguination cardiac arrest, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) unresponsive to defibrillation, massive stroke, and other conditions requiring extended time for medical/surgical interventions.

The procedure for inducing emergency preservation for up to 3+ hours requires cooling the patient within about 7 minutes after cardiopulmonary arrest or cessation of CPR. This rapid profound hyperthermia cooling is achieved by flushing the patient’s vasculature with a cold-flush solution at a temperature of approximately 1°C-2°C (33.8°F-35.6°F). The cold-flush solution is typically introduced through the patient’s major arteries, such as the aorta. The patient is then cooled to a tympanic membrane temperature of about 7°C-10°C (44.6°F-50°F) in less than 10-12 minutes. 

The EPR process isolates the heart, brain, and other vital organs to impose a state of clinical preservation for the critical period of approximately 3+ hours. The patient is then transported during this 3+ hour period so they can receive acute care at a hospital, including surgical repairs and medical interventions that they would not have had the opportunity to receive without EPR. 

The patient is ultimately resuscitated by the re-introduction of blood bank donor blood, using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), followed by rewarming. The patient ideally is rewarmed and resuscitated within 3+ hours or less from the time of initiation of emergency preservation and rapid profound hypothermia. 

The company plans to follow a business model somewhat similar to the introduction of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) decades ago, when AEDs added one more chance to get the heart started when chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing were inadequate. The use of AEDs quickly became the emergency standard of care, and we hope to replicate that success. 

We believe what makes EPR unique and revolutionary is the extended, 3+ hour period of emergency preservation for transport to a hospital for surgical repairs followed by delayed resuscitation. 

For the first time, resuscitation doesn’t require immediate success.

Pioneering an Industry to Meet Market Needs

g

As the numbers indicate in the graphic above, approximately 2,000 people per day tragically die from traumatic exsanguination cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac arrest despite receiving CPR. And that breaks out to approximately 83 victims per hour: one victim of non-traumatic cardiac arrest every minute and one victim of trauma every three-to-four minutes. ( Source,  Source)

According to our industry research, EPR-Technologies has taken the leadership role in bringing EPR to market and developing a new standard of care that hasn't previously been available. The primary markets we plan to target include Level I Trauma Hospitals, Level II through Level V Hospitals, Emergency Rooms, ICUs, Patient Floors, Ambulances, and military combat casualty care needs. 

Emergency Medicine is already demonstrating trends towards investing in cooling equipment related to mild hypothermia treatments, which is cooling but dramatically different from rapid profound hypothermia in target temperature, equipment needs, and goals. Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management markets are increasing each year as these exciting new technologies are adopted. 

Successful Trials, R&D Support, and Proprietary Technology

g

For the past 15+ years, the Safar Center for Resuscitation Research at the University of Pittsburgh has successfully pursued large animal studies in which the use of rapid aortic cold flush to induce emergency preservation (EP) was followed by delayed resuscitation and full recoveries of the animals. 

These revolutionary studies have formed the basis of the emergency preservation and resuscitation (EPR) technology for our planned, patented product line of disposable EPR-Kits, EPR Cold Flush Solutions with additives, and EPR equipment for both emergency in-hospital and field use. 

An FDA-approved clinical trial is currently underway at Maryland Shock Trauma at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD. Maryland Shock Trauma is a nationally recognized Level I trauma center pioneering designs, facilities, and capabilities for rapid trauma care with a strong interest in advanced resuscitation techniques like EPR. 

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command has always been a very strong supporter of innovative resuscitation techniques to save combat casualties suffering massive hemorrhage and cardiac arrest on the battlefield. The Army was the first to realize the importance of EPR and supplied early R&D funding as well as current support for the EPR clinical trial. 

EPR-Technologies has several key patents-in-preparation which will be completed and submitted in the US. and foreign countries using money from this raise. 

The initial six patents-in preparation include: 

1. Specific EPR Induction Kit

2. Novel Aortic Access Catheter

3. Specifically Configured Hospital Refrigerator-Pump

4. Unique Guided Transthoracic Catheter

5. Ambulance Portable Refrigerator-Pump System

6. Oxygen Carrying Additive for EPR Induction Vascular Patency

Creating a New Emergency Medicine Standard of Care

EPR-Technologies will continue to push the boundaries of emergency preservation and resuscitation in order to create a new life-saving “Standard of Care'' in emergency medical responses.

The Company has engaged in preliminary verbal discussions with medical device manufacturers interested in EPR’s specialized catheters and refrigerator/pump/monitoring systems for rapid profound hypothermia. No agreements with these potential manufacturers have been finalized as yet.

In the future, we see this leading to a successful revenue stream, growing each year, with 2nd and 3rd generation products enabling EPR-Technologies to remain a research and revenue leader in the sub-niche of emergency preservation and delayed resuscitation. 

Besides the most important goal of saving lives, EPR-Technologies can benefit from being first in the medical emergency marketplace with a new innovative technique and customized products. We believe this presents an excellent opportunity to dominate the branding and market space, generate strong revenues, and create the potential for long-term growth. 

With promising technology, patents soon to be filed, and a clinical trial underway, we believe we are well on our way to achieving this vision. 

Join us as we seek to create a revolutionary new approach to resuscitation and help save lives that might otherwise be lost!