WEATHERFORD —
By a unanimous vote at their January meeting, the Parker County Hospital District purchased additional equipment for their countywide EMS service that has already made a difference in the ability of it’s LifeCare paramedics to deliver lifesaving care.
LifeCare added nine new LIFEPAK 15 monitor/defibrillators to the fleet of mobile ICU ambulances. It also added five LUCAS Chest Compression Systems from Physio-Control.
“The ultimate goal of this purchase request was to provide quicker treatment to patients served by LifeCare EMS, and to save lives in cardiac emergencies,” EMS director Paul Smith said.
The LIFEPAK 15 monitor/defibrillator provides both therapeutic and diagnostic functions all in one device that can easily be carried to the patient’s side.
“These new monitors will enable us to more quickly and thoroughly diagnose and treat patients,” said Dr. Donald Phillips, LifeCare EMS medical director. “In particular, we can now run 12-lead ECGs right in the field or in the ambulance during transport, for transmission by cell phone directly to the emergency department. This enables early diagnosis and initiation of treatment protocols as appropriate, for patients experiencing a heart attack.”
The emergency industry acknowledges that early identification in the field saves precious time for heart patients, when “time is muscle.”
Features of the LIFEPAK 15 are detection of CO2 (useful in advanced airway treatments), blood pressure monitoring, and monitoring of oxygen saturation, along with defibrillation and external pacing.
The new LUCAS Chest Compression System units are external, mechanical devices that provide chest compressions during CPR. LUCAS is indicated for treatment of adult patients who have acute cardiac arrest defined as an absence of spontaneous breathing and pulse, as well as loss of consciousness.
“LUCAS is designed to provide consistent and uninterrupted compressions in accordance with recommendations in the American Heart Association’s 2005 CPR guidelines,” Smith said. “It helps reduce hands-off intervals in treating patients, retains high quality compressions and allows manual defibrillation while patients are receiving mechanical chest compression.”
The LUCAS units look like small CT arms, fitting over the patient on the stretcher and fixed in place. It allows responders to focus on other lifesaving therapies, such as medication, ventilation and defibrillation. It provides sustained, effective circulation during patient transport in both out-of-hospital and in-hospital situations. It also enhances the safety of both the patient and care provider by enabling rescuers to sit, wearing seatbelts during transport, rather than standing to provide compressions in a fast-moving vehicle.
The LUCAS device was used recently on a patient who was not breathing and who’s heart had stopped when LifeCare paramedics arrived on the scene. The patient was placed on a stretcher and the LUCAS was started. By the time the ambulance pulled up to the hospital, the patient had a pulse. Emergency personnel credited the LUCAS for a large part of the successful transport.
The acquisition of these two pieces to the EMS inventory cost the Parker County Hospital District more than $300,000. However, the PCHD board voted unanimously to add them to the capital equipment budget list.
“Our goal is to provide the best care possible by using state-of-the-art equipment. Our county should be thankful that our board had the foresight to make such an investment in our community,” Smith said.
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
