I just spent the morning in training for a couple hours at headquarters. The result of which is that we are putting into service a couple new pieces of equipment and (finally) stepping into the 21st century of treatment.
We are adding the EZ-IO and the Boussignac CPAP system. Check em out. Most of us have heard of the EZ-IO, but the CPAP system is something amazing. No moving parts, no compressors or wall mount units. Just a mask, valve, and tubing.
I do have to give credit to my OppsChief for stepping up to the plate and allowing himself to be drilled by the EZ-IO. We have it all on video and it's great. Honestly, the paramedic operating the drill was way more nervous that the OppsChief.
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Quit Being Weird
5 years ago
6 comments:
Nice! Soon I shall also have my training to do the EZIO or the EIEIO as the Lieutenant and my father in law call it... I'm not sure how I feel about it though. I just look so damn barbaric. But then again, you seem to get that impression when the first time you see it done, it is being drilled into the tibia of a conscious patient and end up with his cursing recorded and witnessed by all the nurses at the ED. Never a good time to try and call in a report...
The Jealousy here is visible!
We carry the barbaric IO needles that you gouge into the person by hand. I'm pushing, but we're a small county service facing a 6k budget cut for 2009...
I've always been curious of those CPAP devices. Do they really work as they claim? How much air do they chug down?
The sales rep tells a really good tale about his product, but when I get my hands on the data sheet, I'll post some more specific details. It looks very promising though.
A word of caution on that CPAP device- while it does work, it does not work as well as the older units. It seems like most of the time it just doesn't PUSH like the old ones did.
Also, be very very careful when storing them and make sure you check the unit out thoroughly before each shift. I've had two of them break at the oxygen input, and not found out about it until I had a patient in APE- it's awfully annoying to call for a second medic unit. It seems a hard case like a Tupperware container works well.
Also, EZ-IO is probably the best tool ever in a cardiac arrest.
Let me know how you like 'em!
Thanks Witness. The product rep told us the same thing about the oxygen inlet breaking.
Also, my coworkers who tried the mask on during training made the same comment about the amount of push they felt.
I'll post when I get to try it out in the field
I am a big fan of both the EZIO and the Boussignac CPAP. Both very good tools; and what's more important, they're both very SIMPLE, essentially paramedic-proof tools. I like the Boussignac better than some of the other CPAP systems because it's small, light, and so easy even a truckie can use it at 3am (oh, burn). If you have end-tidal CO2, just snip the adapter off an ETCO2 probe and slide the tube in the corner of the mask -- you'll get reasonably accurate CO2 and resp data.
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