Yes. LifeVac® has been listed by the only regulator on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) for sale in Australia as a Class 1 Medical Device. It has also undergone and passed post-market and clinical review audits.

In Australia we do not manage choking in the same way as every other country in the world (that follow the recommendations of the International Liaison Committee of Resuscitation - ILCOR).  Instead the recommendations in Australia utilise largely unproven techniques that have yet to show any documented success in relieving a severe airway obstruction in any person since their inception.  Even the best first aid measures in the world are not always sufficient to relieve an obstruction and a device such as the LifeVac® can then be the difference between life and death.  In fact first-aid measures are only effective in 50-70% of cases of complete obstruction. So far LifeVac® has a record of 100% success with no failures or harm.

The LifeVac® is classified as a single use device, so as to avoid contamination.  For carers, it can be used as a single patient device with appropriate cleaning. Don't worry, if you use your LifeVac® in an emergency, we will replace it free! The device is made of very durable materials and has an expected shelf life of over 5 years.

LifeVac® can be used in any setting where choking management may be required, especially settings where the risk of patients choking is higher. These include child care, schools, aged care and special needs facilities and facilities for people with ​developmental disabilities. Around 8% of unexpected deaths in aged care facilities in Australia are caused by choking. 

Choking and suffocation accounts for approximately 11% of deaths in children in the age group under 14 years of age, and the most likely objects are lollies and coins.  The second highest cause of death in aged care is choking, or almost 8 per cent of premature deaths.

Yes, we are pleased to say that we have documented examples of over 2600 lives that have been saved using the LifeVac® (including over 1500 children) so far by the device despite the failure of first aid measures. 

No.  The LifeVac® device comes with easy instructions and can be quickly mastered by anyone in an emergency. Hundreds of children have been saved by parents who have had no training. Video and an online training course are also available for more in-depth information.

LifeVac® can be used on people of any age. There has been no evidence or reported harm of any person. Each unit comes with a variety of masks, to suit a full range of people. Kits can also be customised for special settings e.g.  aged care, day care, or schools.

No. LifeVac® is not just a plunger and a mask.  If you were to use just these two items connected together the result would be to drive obstructions down the airway of a choking victim. The real magic of the LifeVac® design is patented one-way valve assembly that is fixed between the pump and mask.  This valve unit (that has been tested to ensure it is safe for humans) ensures that only a measured negative force is applied, to suck the obstruction out of the choking victim's airway.

The main cost in the LifeVac® unit is in manufacturing and importing the patented one-way valve assembly. These are only manufactured in the US and the UK under license. To comply with Australian regulations, the device also has to have locally compliant instructions, labelling, and packaging. Producing this material also adds to the cost of the device.  The ideology of LifeVac® is to save lives rather than seek large profits from the misfortune of others. This means that the LifeVac® retail price is not inflated but represents costs and margins to ensure a sustainable business. The price of the device in Australia is equivalent to other countries where the device components have to be freighted across the world. 

No, this is however a very common myth. The ARC is not the regulatory body in Australia for medical devices or for first aid. The ARC is a private, voluntary, non-government organisation that does not endorse any specific equipment for use in first aid in Australia. Therefore there exists no "approval" process at the ARC, nor is is required in Australia for using the LifeVac® device in first aid. Likewise the WHS regulation and Code of Practice inclusion is not required to use the LifeVac® device in an emergency.

No. In fact states have "Good Samaritan" (or equivalent) legislation that protects individuals acting in good faith in an emergency e.g. NSW

"A good Samaritan does not incur any personal civil liability in respect of any act or omission done or made by the good Samaritan in an emergency when assisting a person who is apparently injured or at risk of being injured." A ‘“good Samaritan” is a person who, in good faith and without expectation of payment or other reward, comes to the assistance of a person who is apparently injured or at risk of being injured’.
To be a good Samaritan the person has be
1)  acting in good faith;
2)  without expectation of payment or other reward
3)  to assist a person who is
4)  apparently injured or at risk of being injured.

Nothing in that list says anything about ‘acting within one’s qualifications’ and that is for obvious reasons. The Act is intended to encourage people, including those without any qualifications, to help when help is needed. 

Applying that reasoning to the good Samaritan provisions requires that the rescuer is acting ‘not maliciously or to achieve an ulterior purpose’ so they’re acting to assist the injured person, not to steal their wallet or do them harm and it’s a genuine attempt not to harm the person, i.e. to do the right thing. So a person who is confident in the use of oxygen and who genuinely believes that oxygen is warranted in the best interest and to avert harm to the patient is acting in good faith when they administer that oxygen; or use the person’s Epi-pen or help them with their Ventolin; or do CPR or use an automatic defibrillator, or use the LifeVac® when first aid has failed. The person who says ‘I always wanted to do a tracheostomy using a Swiss army knife and a pen (as in M*A*S*H Season 5 Episode 8, ‘Mulcahy’s War’) and now I can because I can’t be sued’ is not acting in good faith.

The LifeVac® is designed to be used without specific training and after first aid attempts have failed.  We believe that using  the LifeVac® therefore does not constitute a rescuer "exceeding their training" i.e. constituting negligence or reckless behaviour under law; regardless as to whether specific LifeVac® training was included in their first aid training. 

Yes. Neither LifeVac®, nor any regulatory body in the world, has ever received a report of the device causing any harm. The device has been safely used by untrained people on patients ranging from 3 weeks to 95 years of age, with no regurgitation and no injury. This has been confirmed by medical examinations post episode. 

The LifeVac® has been tested and proven to save lives. On our site you can see it recommended by qualified health professionals. There are those who find it hard to believe that a simple device can be so effective and safe and so LifeVac® has been misrepresented or misunderstood by individuals who have made unsubstantiated claims online, or expressed opinions that are not supported by facts or clinical evidence.  Unfortunately, this is the world we live in, where anyone's blogged opinion is immediately accepted as fact. LifeVac® has a 100% success rate of removing upper airway obstructions following the failure of first aid measures and has already saved hundreds of lives. All our saves are documented and the device is subject to regulation in all countries in which it is used. LifeVac® is also the subject of a worldwide, multi-institutional research project.

The LifeVac® is a unique device and any similarity is only used to undermine the reputation of the LifeVac®.

The Dechoker has never undergone TGA post-market review or clinical review for safety and efficacy.

The Dechoker was rejected by the peak international resuscitation body (ILCOR) as having too much inherent risk due to insertion of the device into the mouth.

The Dechoker and Abdominal Thrusts (formerly Heimlich Manoeuvre - the best evidenced first aid measure in the world) were compared with LifeVac® in an independent published study that found that the outcomes from the Dechoker were barely better than first aid (76% vs 71%) whilst the LifeVac® efficacy started at 97% and rose to 100% by the third pump.

NO! These devices are counterfeit fakes that are illegal to sell in Australia as they have never been approved by the TGA. They have never been tested or proven as safe, and do not have the patiented design features of the LifeVac®. Genuine LifeVac® devices are not (and have never been) manufactured or sold in China!

Our LifeVac® kits are shipped with a selection of masks to cover all ages and sizes.
​
The size 2 mask is the smallest we ship with the LifeVac® kit. You may have seen that in the individual mask packaging there is a reference to size 0 and 1 – these are unfortunately not compatible with the LifeVac® device. (The connection on the top of the mask is too small to fit the LifeVac device.)

The size 2 mask in your kit is suitable for small children/toddlers and even infants/babies.
If you find that the size 2 mask is too big for your child, a good seal can be achieved by using one of the larger masks, rotated so that the nose end of the mask is over your child’s chin – the mask covers your child’s entire face (rather than just nose and mouth).

The LifeVac® Travel Kit contains sizes 2, 3, 4, 5. The LifeVac Zip Case Kit contains these plus an Extra Large Mask (size 6). (The extra large mask can be purchased as an add-on to the Travel Kit if needed.)