NEW STATE-of-the-art life support machine equipment is being installed by Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance on its helicopter and night car service.
The ZOLL X Series monitor/defibrillator, which are highly portable, have been designed for use at major trauma incidents including road traffic accidents and for medical emergencies such as heart attack or severe difficulty in breathing.
Along with its sister air ambulance covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, the charity – which receives no government or NHS funding – has invested more than £100,000 on the new equipment.
The new equipment will enable air ambulance doctors and critical care patients to defibrillate a patient to restore a normal heart rhythm, monitor the heart’s electrical output and support a patients heart rate through external pacing.
It will also be able to measure carbon monoxide in the blood following smoke inhalation as well as monitor a patients blood pressure and temperature.
Crucially, the ZOLL X Series has a CPR dashboard which can be used to ensure chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are to the right depth and frequency.
Richard Clayton, director of operations for the local air ambulance, said: “This is an amazing diagnostic and patient monitoring device.
“It is highly portable and rugged, so can easily be taken off the helicopter or the night car and used directly at the patient’s side.
“It will help our doctors and critical care paramedics gather all the information they need to deliver expert trauma care at the scene of any accident or medical emergency.
“In total, we have invested more than £100,000 in these new units – thanks entirely to the generosity of local communities in supporting Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance.”
