From innovation to impact - 70 years of saving lives
In 1954, a simple but powerful idea changed emergency care forever.
Faced with a shortage of oxygen supplies in Danish hospitals, anaesthesiologist Dr. Henning Ruben, alongside engineer Holger Hesse, developed the world’s first self‑inflating resuscitator - The Ambu® Bag.
Originally built using bicycle spokes, the design was elegantly simple: after each compression, the bag recoils and refills automatically with fresh air - no external gas source required.
Just a decade later, the device was recognised by the American Medical Association as one of the most significant medical advances of its time - and it has since become a cornerstone of resuscitation worldwide.
70 years later, that innovation came full circle in regional Victoria.
Resuscitation Educator Wendy Tilling discovered an original Ambu Bag resuscitator that once belonged to her grandfather, Stanley ‘Safety’ Peterson - a WWII RAAF medical serviceman, one of Victoria’s first male nurses, and a passionate advocate for safety.
The bag had been kept alongside his teaching tools - a reminder of a lifetime dedicated to protecting others. Recognising its significance, Wendy reached out to Ambu to return one of the earliest Ambu Bags to its original maker.
Today, that same resuscitator - still functional after more than six decades - is preserved as part of Ambu’s history, while another remains on display at the hospital where Stan once volunteered.
From that original design to today, one thing hasn’t changed: reliability when it matters most.
The Ambu® SPUR® II is the latest evolution of that legacy - trusted by millions of clinicians worldwide for consistent performance in critical moments.
- Consistent FiO2 delivery for patient safety
- Lightweight, ergonomic control for clinicians
- PVC‑free materials supporting sustainability
- Decades of Ambu expertise, refined through continuous innovation
70 years on, still saving lives; from a bicycle-spoke prototype to a device trusted across hospitals and emergency services worldwide. The Ambu Bag continues to define resuscitation - and SPUR® II carries that legacy forward.
