Buchanan County EMS is rolling out new equipment
By Jenna Wilson
Buchanan County EMS is making sure its equipment is up-to-date and ready for the hundreds of calls its workers respond to each day.
EMS recently partnered with Stryker, a leading medical device and equipment manufacturing company, to ensure all Buchanan County EMS ambulances will now be equipped with the latest in medical technology, including cots, load systems, stair chairs and LUCAS devices (CPR devices).
“As everything in the world does, equipment wears out and household appliances wear out,” said Wally Patrick, Buchanan County EMS executive director. “As items wear out in EMS, it’s not only the functionality of it that sometimes that starts to decrease, but it begins to pose a risk to our patients. Those are the types of things we have to take into consideration.”
Over the last year, EMS has responded to many overdoses, instances of respiratory distress, strokes and other medical episodes.
EMS crews say the lifespan of most medical equipment is about five years, but this time frame could be cut short depending on the severity of the call they respond to.
“Five years is usually about the maximum amount of time our equipment is useful, but that’s not always guaranteed,” Patrick said. “If the item was involved in any kind of incident, then it has to be taken out of service and revalidated for safety and use prior to going back into service, and with the number of calls we respond to, it does happen.”
The modern-day LUCAS device is one of the most vital pieces of equipment medical professionals will now have in their ambulances.
This device provides mechanical chest compressions to patients in cardiac arrest. All emergency responders are trained in how to properly perform CPR on patients of all ages, but it’s easy to become tired and lose count of compressions in a traumatic situation, experts say. This device will do the correct compressions each time.
“The American Heart Association and other studies will tell you that pumping on the chest and that manual circulation of the blood is so important to keep the brain and your organs alive,” Patrick said. “During that period when your heart’s not beating on its own, the LUCAS device is consistent, it’s the right depth and the right rhythm every time, so it will absolutely increase that survivability of the brain and internal organs.”
Due to supply chain issues, some of the emergency equipment is still coming in, but emergency responders expect to have all Buchanan County ambulances equipped with upgraded equipment by June.
