Driver Engineer Kyle Pavelka (l-r) and firefighters Alex Lutz and Alex Ayerdis demonstrate the use of the epoc Blood Analysis System now being used on emergency medical calls by Highland Beach Fire Rescue. The department is the first in Palm Beach County and only the third in Florida to implement the system. Photos provided
By Rich Pollack
Firefighters and paramedics in Highland Beach have a new technology at their fingertips that can help them better understand a patient’s medical condition on the spot, speeding up treatment in some cases and in others, helping to avoid unnecessary hospital trips.
Highland Beach Fire Rescue is the first in Palm Beach County and only the third in Florida to implement a portable blood-analysis system that provides critical information that fire rescue personnel can use to provide enhanced care for patients.
“They can make a lot of decisions quickly based on the 13 elements in the lab results,” says Fire Rescue Chief Glenn Joseph. “The new technology has the potential to eliminate a lot of time in the emergency room and some of the cost.”
Joseph and Assistant Chief for Operations Tom McCarthy say first responders using the system can provide test results to emergency room personnel on their way to the hospital or once they get there. That gives the ER staffers a heads-up on what they’re dealing with and eliminates — in some cases — the need for similar tests once patients arrive.
Often, Joseph said, it could take quite some time in a busy emergency room before a patient’s blood is taken, sent to the lab and the results are seen by a doctor.
With the new epoc Blood Analysis System, the results arrive with — or even before — the patient.
In addition, Highland Beach Fire Rescue is working out some connectivity issues, but plans to implement a telemedicine system where paramedics will be able to reach a doctor by phone and forward the test results, as well as provide video of the patient.
Joseph and McCarthy say the new system can also help patients decide whether they want to go the emergency room — or need to — by providing more detailed information.
“We can determine the seriousness of a call more objectively,” Joseph says.
Take, for example, a case of the flu.
A patient complains of having flu-like systems and when paramedics arrive, they see flu-like symptoms.
“You look like you have the flu but this tests to see if something else is going on,” Joseph said.
That something else could be severe dehydration or even a more concerning infection.
The results could also show that the patient just has the flu and can decide to stay home and get rest rather than be taken to the hospital.
McCarthy is quick to point out the blood test is not a substitute for all the other steps first responders take to diagnose a patient’s condition and says that it is done simultaneously so as not to interrupt the normal protocols.
“The lab results are just part of the puzzle,” he says.
Since the department implemented the system in early September, it has been used to help diagnose patients complaining of chest pain, breathing issues, general weakness and abdominal pain, among other issues.
The system is minimally invasive with a small amount of blood taken that is placed on a card which is then put in a reader. Results are provided within three and a half minutes.
“You can show the results to the patient and help them make an informed decision about their care,” Joseph said.
Cost of the readers and some of the other equipment, about $20,000, was covered by the Highland Beach Police and Fire Foundation.
While the system has benefits to Highland Beach residents, Joseph sees it having broader impact by reducing the number of folks going to the emergency room and by reducing the number of rescue trucks taking people to the hospital.
He sees more fire rescue departments, and perhaps even emergency rooms, using the system as its reliability continues to be proven.
“This gives us one more peg in the hole to make a clear decision,” he said.
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