The San Diego County Fire Protection District has upgraded 35 automated chest-compression devices to their advanced life support ambulances and helicopters, the agency announced Thursday.

At $23,000 per unit, AutoPulse NXT Resuscitation Systems, are devices that offer an advantage over manual CPR, something agency officials described as a “significant investment” for pre-hospital care.

The AutoPulse provides “circumferential chest squeezing,” which enables more effective compressions to improve blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain during a cardiac arrest, according to the fire protection district.

“Every second matters during cardiac arrest,” Battalion Chief Jakub Jagielinski of San Diego County Fire’s Emergency Medical Services said in a statement.

“The AutoPulse NXT gives our

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