New Studies Find the Value of Q-CPR Monitoring and Feedback Technology to Improve CPR Delivery by Trained Responders

Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHI), inpartnership with Laerdal, announced today that studies presented thispast weekend at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions2005 support the value of Q-CPR, the first technology to providereal-time cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) monitoring and feedbackfor advanced life support (ALS) - trained responders. Q-CPR, developedby Laerdal and Philips and available only on the HeartStart MRxmonitor/defibrillator, offers medical professionals correctivefeedback on the rate and depth of chest compressions, as well as thefrequency and quality of ventilations (breaths), encouraging them toadjust their technique, as needed, to improve CPR performance.

At the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2005 inDallas, investigators announced the results of the second phase ofstudies on the quality of CPR delivered by professional responders inand out of the hospital. Two papers published in the January 19, 2005issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)reported poor adherence to international guidelines of CPR during bothout-of-hospital and in-hospital cardiac arrest. The studies measuredthe level of accuracy of CPR delivery and discovered that, a highpercentage of the time, chest compression rates were too slow, chestcompression depth too shallow, and breath rates too high. Thefollow-up studies announced at AHA found that incorporating Q-CPR intotheir rescue protocol helped professional responders improve thequality of CPR they deliver.

Dr. Jo Kramer-Johansen of Ulleval University Hospital, Oslo,Norway, reported on 108 cardiac arrests in three ambulance services inEurope, where the automatic verbal and visual feedback features ofQ-CPR improved the quality of CPR delivered by the paramedics andemergency medical technicians (EMTs). With the use of Q-CPR, themedian percentage of chest compressions within CPR guidelines morethan doubled from 24% to 53%. Additionally, there was a significantincrease in the mean depth of compressions in those utilizing Q-CPR(34+/-9 mm to 38+/-6 mm), and a reduction in mean compression rate(121+/-18 to 109+/-12), which means that the performance was closer tocurrent AHA guidelines for compression depth of 38 to 51mm andcompression rate of 100 per minute.

"Improving CPR quality is the key factor for improving outcomesafter cardiac arrest in the coming decade," said Professor PetterSteen, the principal investigator on the study. "While thisinvestigation was not powered to study outcomes, the results stronglysupport the need for a larger study."

Dr. Ben Abella, from the University of Chicago, presented resultsshowing that Q-CPR also improved multiple parameters of CPR qualityfor cardiac arrest patients treated in-hospital. A related study onhow the quality of CPR affects the success rates of defibrillation, byhis colleague Dr. Dana Edelson, reported that a modest increase in thedepth of chest compressions doubled the chance of defibrillationsuccess, which is associated with more patients leaving the hospitalalive. Dr. Edelson's study garnered her the Resuscitation ScienceSymposium's (ReSS) Young Investigator of the Year award.

About Q-CPR

Quality CPR and early defibrillation are inextricably linked - thecombination is essential to increase the survival rate for victims ofsudden cardiac arrest (SCA). When breath rates or chest compressiontargets are not being met, Q-CPR provides visual and audio cues thatencourage rescuers to adjust their technique. Laerdal, the worldwideleader in CPR solutions, developed Q-CPR technology with Philips overa five-year period to enable caregivers to go beyond having a "feel"for doing CPR, by allowing them to actually see and hear how they aredoing, helping to improve the quality of CPR for their patients inreal time.

In addition, Q-CPR enables collection of CPR data for post-eventreview and de-brief. This data management feature enables system-wideanalysis of how well CPR is being performed and can help driveimprovements in the quality of CPR in an emergency medical response(EMS) system or hospital. The Q-CPR device weighs less than a half apound, adding virtually no weight to the HeartStart MRx, and is easyto use and apply to the patient.

About CPR and Defibrillation

CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is a technique designed totemporarily circulate oxygenated blood through the body of a personwhose heart has stopped or has an irregular rhythm. It involvesdetermining if the person is without a pulse, assessing the airway,breathing for the person, and performing chest compressions tocirculate blood to the body's vital organs. CPR "primes" the heart toreceive a defibrillation shock by perfusing it with blood. It iscritical for emergency medical responders to perform CPR quickly andeffectively to maximize the victim's chances of survival. However,performing and sustaining the appropriate breaths and chestcompressions is difficult, further complicated by such factors as achaotic environment or fatigue.

SCA affects 340,000 people each year in the U.S. alone, and fewerthan five percent survive, largely because defibrillators do not getto them in time or bystander CPR is not always performed. For eachminute that passes before defibrillation therapy reaches a victim, thechance for survival decreases by about 7 to10 percent. After 10minutes, few attempts at resuscitation are successful. Early CPR anddefibrillation together with good post-resuscitation care can improvesurvival rates substantially.

About Laerdal

Laerdal is headquartered in Stavanger, Norway and has variousoperations and over 1000 employees around the world. Over the last 50years, Laerdal's Resusci(r) Anne and other CPR training manikins havehelped train over 250 million people worldwide in cardiopulmonaryresuscitation. In keeping with the company's mission of helping savelives, Laerdal manufactures and distributes medical education andacute care products for the healthcare and emergency responsecommunities. The recipient of numerous medical design awards, Laerdalis one of the foremost names in resuscitation, medical simulation,airway management, spinal immobilization, and basic and advanced lifesupport products.

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI)is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe'slargest, with sales of EUR 30.3 billion in 2004. With activities inthe three interlocking domains of healthcare, lifestyle and technologyand 161,100 employees in more than 60 countries, it has marketleadership positions in medical diagnostic imaging and patientmonitoring, color television sets, electric shavers, lighting andsilicon system solutions. News from Philips is located atwww.philips.com/newscenter.