Equipment information needed

["Snow, Mona G" <MGS2B@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu>]

We need some information regarding monitoring equipment and intubation equipment. If anyone can help us out it would be greatly appreciated.

1. Is anyone out there (in the flight world) using a "all-in-one" piece of equipment that does 12 lead EKGs,  paces, defibrillates, non-invasive ( NIBP, SaO2, EKG) and invasive (at least 2) monitoring, ETCO2 monitoring? If so, what brand are you using? What are the pros and cons of the equipment? Service problems/assistance? Weight/bulkiness of product?

 

2. Is anyone using disposable intubation equipment; blades and handles? Are you pleased with them? Do you find that they flex too much when attempting difficult intubations? (the ones we tried had too much "give" to them). If anyone has a brand to recommend please tell us the pros/cons and the manufacturer of said brand.

 

3. For those of you using non-disposable intubation equipment (especially those programs who stage remote from the hospital), how do you sterilize or switch off your blades and handles in compliance with infection control/JCAHO?  Being remote from the hospital it is not practical to exchange blades with the OR stock and not financially feasible to open an airway kit to exchange blades in the ED. Short of investing a lot of money buying our own blades and having them sterilized at the hospital, with consequential delay or actual loss of the equipment, we need a practical solution to this problem.

 

If anyone has any ideas or solutions please reply. You may use my e-mail address if that is preferable.

 

Thank you,

M. Snow, RN

Pegasus Flight Ops

Charlottesville, VA

 

mgs2b@virginia.edu