EG EMS crew raising funds to replace outdated cardiac monitor during Heart Awareness Month

February is American Heart Awareness Month. The Eagle Grove EMS crew has chosen to not only endorse awareness, but also wish to bring community awareness of our own needs.

There are several things that we all can do to improve our heart health, for example, eating a healthier diet, stop smoking, and 30 minutes of activity five days a week. The Eagle Grove EMS has featured many other tips for improving heart health provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on our Facebook page, “Eagle Grove Emergency Medical Services – EMS.”

Eagle Grove EMS is here to serve the Eagle Grove, Goldfield, Woolstock and the rural area around these towns. The service is run primarily by volunteers within the community who dedicate not only their time, but also their talents. In 2019, the EMS crew were dispatched for a total of 371 calls. One of the top reasons for Eagle Grove EMS to be dispatched, and perhaps the most life threatening type of calls, are cardiac related. The EMS crew averages about 45 calls per year for a cardiac call.

When EMS is called for a cardiac event, it is often that the EMT or Paramedic would attach leads to the patient’s chest and obtain additional vitals, such as a blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation, with a device that we call a “cardiac monitor.” Currently, the EMS uses a device that was purchased by the city at least 10 years ago. Recently we received a letter on behalf of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stating that the current device is no longer going to be able to be serviced by 2021. This was not good news to hear as these devices require frequent updating and repair to ensure that they are functional when the EMS crew responds to the next ambulance request. EMS crew members find the current cardiac monitors challenging to work with due to them being outdated, hard to interpret while in transport, and occasionally presenting false data.

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The Eagle Grove Eagle

The Eagle Grove Eagle
P.O. Box 6
304 West Broadway
Eagle Grove, IA 50533
Phone: 1-515-448-4745
FAX: 1-515-448-3182
Email: news@eaglegroveeagle.com

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