Local Ambulance Service Obtains Over $37K In Equipment Thanks To Grant

New unit purchased by Edmonson EMS with the help of grant money.

Unit installed in an ambulance.

Edmonson Voice Staff Report:
​Edmonson County Ambulance Service recently put into service a new Physio-Control LifePak 15 Cardiac Monitor/Defibrillator, according to a release from their Brownsville Office.

This device allows paramedics to monitor a patient’s heart rhythm, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and carbon dioxide levels; perform cardiac pacing, cardioversion, and defibrillation; and obtain and transmit 12-Lead EKGs to the receiving hospital ER, cardiac cath lab, and on-call cardiologist, according to the statement.

These capabilities allow for early intervention for a patient suffering a heart attack and can help reduce or prevent damage to the heart.  The capability to obtain and transmit 12-Lead EKGs allow the patient in most cases to bypass the emergency room and go directly to the cardiac cath lab when the on-call cardiologist determines that a cardiac cath is necessary. 

This can greatly reduce the time from initial patient contact to definitive treatment, and can drastically reduce the severity of a heart attack.

Ambulance Service Director Keith Sanders said the total project price was $37,875 with $32,000 coming from grant money from the Department of Homeland Security via the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security Grant Program.