ALS Equipment wish list

[mobey]

My service is going ALS in 3 months (yaaaaay).

So it has been bestowed upon me to come up with a wish list of ALS equipment, since I have only interacted/worked for about 3 ALS systems I am looking for imput on what you guys like. Here is some background.

We have a low call volume of about 500/yr. We are 3.5hrs from a major hospital.

We do ALOT of peds calls.

We are "spoiled" in some peoples eyes..... electric cots, new chevy ambulances, stryker stair chairs, DVD players in the back of the rigs, etc etc. Money is an issue...... but for the most part, we want the best (within reason).

So I am looking for imput on any and all ALS equipment.

I'll get you started.... including, but not limited to

Transport ventilator? (No the genesis is not good enough)

Laryngoscope set? Plastic vs metal

Difficult intubation assistance (lighted stylette etc etc)

Commercial Cric kits?

IO kit? (BIG, EZIO, FAST?)

We already have LP 12's, and a 15 on the way, so monitors are taken care of.

Thx Mobey

[BAYAMedic]

When it comes to IO, I am a fan of EZIO, it appears to be far more painless, and FAST 1 seems better suited to a combat medicine base, What does your drug box look like up there? If you get all the fancy toys a fob based swipe and open safe may be an advantage to a key system.

Fireman1037

[mobey]

When it comes to IO, I am a fan of EZIO, it appears to be far more painless, and FAST 1 seems better suited to a combat medicine base, What does your drug box look like up there? If you get all the fancy toys a fob based swipe and open safe may be an advantage to a key system.

Fireman1037

We have no drug box yet.

I have been considering the Pelican 1550 but would like to hear more about this fob type?

The Pelican 1550. There is another compartment behind the one pictured for more drugs.

[BAYAMedic]

We have no drug box yet.

I have been considering the Pelican 1550 but would like to hear more about this fob type?

The Pelican 1550. There is another compartment behind the one pictured for more drugs.

I will adress the fob in anohter post. What I ment about drug box, is what is the list of medications you use up there, what meds have to be kept under lock and key and which can be free to grab in your truck?

[mobey]

I will adress the fob in anohter post. What I ment about drug box, is what is the list of medications you use up there, what meds have to be kept under lock and key and which can be free to grab in your truck?

Narcotics and Benzo's will be under lock and key. All others will be in a generic kit. We do not have protocols in place yet, but it is pretty safe to say we will for sure have Midaz, Diazepam, Fentanyl, Morphine, and Ketamine under lock and key.

[BAYAMedic]

Narcotics and Benzo's will be under lock and key. All others will be in a generic kit. We do not have protocols in place yet, but it is pretty safe to say we will for sure have Midaz, Diazepam, Fentanyl, Morphine, and Ketamine under lock and key.

I can't find the type of fob I am talking about online, basically they look like a large watch battery that you wave over the locking mechanism and the safe door unlocks, IMHO faster than trying to line up a key to keyhole on a bumpy road.

[rock_shoes]

Narcotics and Benzo's will be under lock and key. All others will be in a generic kit. We do not have protocols in place yet, but it is pretty safe to say we will for sure have Midaz, Diazepam, Fentanyl, Morphine, and Ketamine under lock and key.

Is each medic going to be assigned a personal carry that they must secure between shifts or will you be doing a signed and witnessed med pass-off at each shift-change?

[mobey]

Is each medic going to be assigned a personal carry that they must secure between shifts or will you be doing a signed and witnessed med pass-off at each shift-change?

Dunno yet

[rock_shoes]

We have no drug box yet.

I have been considering the Pelican 1550 but would like to hear more about this fob type?

The Pelican 1550. There is another compartment behind the one pictured for more drugs.

I love using Pelican cases for street calls. They're extremely durable, simple to organize, easy to decontaminate, and they make a great "granny" step whenever needed. I would suggest the 1500EMS over the 1550 for a drug box. The 1500 will be more than enough to hold all your meds and weighs about 5 lbs less.

[Fox800]

Things to think about...

You mentioned peds calls. One of my favorite pieces of equipment is a specialized pediatrics bag. We have one that's a medium sized bag, with a Broselow tape and a separate, color-coded ziploc bag for each patient color/class. Each color-coded bag has an appropriately sized OPA, ET tube, and suction catheter. The color-coded laminated insert in each ziploc bag has dosages, volumes, and defibrillation/cardioversion energies calculated for that weight range. The bag also has pediatric blood pressure cuffs, IV catethers, airway management tools, etc.

Do you guys have CPAP?

On laryngoscope sets...if you can have enough on-hand to restock your truck, the plastic disposable ones are fine. No worries about sterilizing the blades. If ordering supplies might take a while due to your location, you might want to consider the metal blades.

What kind of rescue airway devices do you guys plan to use? I've used the Combitube and the King LTS-D. We currently use the King, which I am partial to.

Your service needs to provide gum-elastic bougies for airway management. No exceptions. They are cheap, and will save your butt in a difficult airway situation.

Do your LP12's have ETCO2 built in? Will you be ordering the ETCO2/O2 nasal cannulas? They are AWESOME, probably the most valuable piece of equipment on my truck.

I can't comment on ventilators, but I used a Pneupac at a previous job.

We use EZ-IO's and I really like them. We carry pediatric, adult, and large adult needles. They are very fast to start, you can have a line in place before your partner finishes flushing the IV drip set.

What about IV infusions? Do you want an IV pump, something simple like a Dial-A-Flow, or are you just going to count the drops with a metronome (OK I've only heard of London paramedics doing this)?

Edited May 28, 2010 by Fox800