BLS Skills -- What Should We Add?

[emsdude89]

Here in Indiana we are trying out a device call "The Glove". It's a big glove that slips over the patients hand and arm. It's loaded up with electrodes. When the patient puts it on "correctly". An EMT-B is able to print and transmit a 12-Lead EKG. Pretty neat, when it works.

[PoeticInjustice]

It barely fits on the average sized guy in the demonstration video.
http://youtu.be/OIX6qHGfy_Y
V6 looks to be sitting in V4's position. A good portion of the cardiac patients I make are considerably larger than that guy.

Seems like an expensive and less efficient way of getting basics to be able to transmit a 12-lead. If all they are doing is transmitting, just teach them where to put the electrodes...

[Veneficus]

Originally Posted by PoeticInjustice

It barely fits on the average sized guy in the demonstration video.
http://youtu.be/OIX6qHGfy_Y
V6 looks to be sitting in V4's position. A good portion of the cardiac patients I make are considerably larger than that guy.

Seems like an expensive and less efficient way of getting basics to be able to transmit a 12-lead. If all they are doing is transmitting, just teach them where to put the electrodes...

Just another gimmic device.

[ExpatMedic0]

Originally Posted by Veneficus

Just another gimmic device.

Ya I agree, also could cause issues for patients of different sizes and shapes, breast, ect.
Cool idea though but seems like I always end up doing ECG's on a obese elderly woman with breast that often require a lift assist to deal with.

[Clare]

I am greatly confused

We learn in year one at uni how to acquire a 12 lead ECG; so long as you understand the basic electrophysiology of the leads (I forget the name of it, but it is some triangle...) coupled a simple anatomy of the thoracic cage it's pretty hard to stuff up putting on sticky dots and making sure its not full of artifact etc.

It's even taught to the vollies on nat dip

I also don't get why you transmit the ECG? The only time that that is done here is for cardiologist review for thrombolysis; surely nobody who is not ICP is thrombolysing so I don't get it ...

Am I just not getting something here that is screamingly obvious?

[ExpatMedic0]

I did ECG's in the hospital as a tech before I was a Paramedic, the only training i received on it was "on the job" I had no education in it. Its not complicated.

I can see the idea behind this device. I think it could help reduce scene times a little and would also make it possible for your BLS partner (if your an ALS/BLS unit) to set this up easily while freeing the ALS up for other things.
In theory... however I do not think it would work so easily on a lot of the patients we are doing a 12 lead on, plus the cost of the device maybe more than just normal leads.

Also I am not sure how much time would save...

[Clare]

Why not just teach how to acquire a 12 lead ECG? It's not that hard, if the vollies and first year uni students can learn and become proficient with it then surely that must be proof it is more than easy enough to learn?

[ExpatMedic0]

Yes I agree with you, and I think its very simple. I also do not support this device. I think it was a novel idea to save 1 or 2 minutes on scene time which I can see, but overall I do not think the device is worth it.

[systemet]

Originally Posted by Clare

Why not just teach how to acquire a 12 lead ECG? It's not that hard, if the vollies and first year uni students can learn and become proficient with it then surely that must be proof it is more than easy enough to learn?

We teach our EMTs how to do this during orientation. We've also just always taught them to do it. It makes no sense not to if they're going to be working with a paramedic.

Frankly, it makes no sense not to teach them to do it first place, and have it as a BLS skill. But then you start running into problems with the short length of EMT training programs.

[Outbac1]

In the words of George Carlin.

“Put two things together which have never been put together before, and some schmuck will buy it.”