Cooper Landing Emergency Services (CLES) announced, recently, the acquisition and deployment of new LIFEPAK15 monitor/defibrillators from Stryker Corporation to replace the old LIFEPAK15 model currently on the ambulance. The new and updated equipment will allow medics to continue providing high quality care to their patients in both EMS units.
This lifesaving equipment was obtained from grant monies awarded through the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) that was signed into law on March 27, 2020. In this economic relief package, the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) was established. Through the CRF, the CARES Act provides payments to State, Local, and Tribal governments navigating the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak including the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
The monitor/defibrillators allow continuous monitoring of 12-lead ECGs in the field or in the ambulance during transport, and simultaneously transmit critical information directly to the emergency department at the receiving hospital. The equipment is a critical tool required to initiate treatment protocols on patients with cardiac related illness and to monitor critical vital signs on all patients. During the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, these devices are extremely valuable in monitoring patient’s oxygen levels to aide in guiding respiratory treatment.
The LIFEPAK 15 monitor/defibrillator includes improved technologies and provides both therapeutic and diagnostic functions all in one device that can easily be carried to the patient’s side. Some of the features included in the new 15 are a CPR Metronome (an audible prompt to aid in CPR compressions and ventilations), detection of carbon monoxide (one of the leading causes of poisoning death in industrialized countries and among fire fighters), blood pressure monitoring, and monitoring of oxygen saturation, along with defibrillation and external pacing.
Clay Adam, Deputy Chief, EMS stated, “The LIFEPAK15 is a great addition to the arsenal of equipment our Medics count on to provide high quality patient care. The new technology packaged in this monitoring/defibrillation device is going to allow us to consistently deliver on our commitment to provide excellent patient care.”
