GEMS first in state to get new medical technology

Gaston Emergency Medical Services is the first emergency services agency in North Carolina to receive a newly developed medical device that will help paramedics save the lives of cardiac patients.

The Lifepak 35 is a heart monitor and cardiac therapy device that acts as a cardiac monitor and provides EKG monitoring, as well as defibrillation, oxygen monitoring, CO2 monitoring, temperature monitoring and blood pressure monitoring. It is a state-of-the-art upgrade from the previous version, Lifepak 15, which GEMS has been using for decades.

"It's a big step up from the Lifepak 15s, which we've been using for 25, 30 years now," said EMS Deputy Chief Jamie McConnell. "It absolutely will save lives."

The Lifepak 35 is less bulky and lighter than the Lifepak 15, and it has a touch screen. But aside from its appearance, the biggest difference for patients will be the speed at which paramedics can get information about a patient's condition, said paramedic Taylor Forte.

"The biggest difference between the 15 and the 35 that we have is continuous EKG monitoring, which is exciting, because EKGs are how we interpret different heart dysrhythmias or abnormal heart rhythms, as well as (myocardial infarctions) or heart attacks," Forte said. "And so having the ability to continually monitor as well as then look further into our EKGs on the screen allows us to have a better interpretation, so we're able to assess our patients better."

Another exciting aspect of the Lifepak 35 is the ability to continuously monitor a patient's heart rate. This allows paramedics to see if a patient's heart is in a "shockable" rhythm, so that they can then defibrillate the patient, Forte said.

"Which is super important, because in cardiac arrest, defib or defibrillation is going to be the best way to get back a neurologically intact patient, or someone who goes back to their full normal life," she said.

Essentially, she said, the new technology minimizes the pauses in CPR.

"Those pauses in CPR are very detrimental to the patient, so being able to minimize those just automatically gives a better outcome to that patient and makes sure that we're doing the best care that we can," she said.

GEMS was able to get the new technology because of a longstanding relationship with the manufacturer, a medical technology company called Stryker.

In 2018, GEMS leadership went to Redmond, Washington, where they saw the device in its development phase, McConnell said.

"At that point, the prototype looked quite different than this, but they let us kind of look at it and give feedback to what would be useful in the field," he said. "We were actually the first agency in the state of North Carolina to have Lifepak 15s, again, years and years ago."

The Lifepak 35 comes with the promise of a future software update that will allow paramedics to determine if there is any internal bleeding in a patient's abdomen.

"That's not available yet, but they're saying it'll be a plug in feature that will be coming in the near future," McConnell said.

GEMS bought 38 of the devices at a price tag of $1.7 million. The devices are built to last 15 to 20 years.

"So it looks very sleek and modern, but it's very durable," Forte said.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: GEMS first in state to get new medical technology