An EMS IV kit contains various tools and devices, but one device that has been curiously absent from the kit is a portable IV warmer.
Sold by suppliers of fire and EMS supplies, portable IV warmers help prevent hypothermia, cardiac arrest, and lowered immune system function.
Although many hospitals use the devices in emergency rooms and surgery units, other emergency services have yet to adopt them.
Should emergency IV kits contain a portable warmer? Below are four reasons why it should.
Decreases the risk of cardiac arrest Research shows that administering cold blood transfusions increases the risk for cardiac arrest.
Regardless of victim's cardiac condition, infusing them with cold blood can send them into cardiac arrest that precipitates a fatal heart attack.
The tragic effect of cold blood transfusions on wounded soldiers is well known, but injury victims are no different; their heart responds to a cold blood transfusion the same way a soldier's does.
Makes patients easier to treat in the hospital Hypothermic patients who undergo surgery are at risk for life threatening hypothermia and hospital-acquired infections.
Some anesthetics have a cooling effect on the body that worsens existing hypothermia.
When a patient must receive such an anesthetic, having a stable body temperature before receiving it is of utmost importance.
Because hypothermia decreases immune function, it also lessens the chance of infection in a patient's wounds.
An EMS IV kit that contains an IV warmer helps paramedics resolve hypothermia before injury victims are treated in the hospital.
Many injury victims suffer from hypothermia Suppliers of fire and EMS supplies recognize the high incidence of hypothermia among injury victims.
Hypothermia is a result of the exposure to cold temperatures, but it also stems from the over consumption of alcohol, drug use, blood loss, and shock.
Treating the hypothermia that these events cause while treating the patient's other symptoms is essential for helping the patient make a speedy recovery.
Cold infusions cause hypothermia Cold infusions do more than make hypothermia worse; they often cause it to occur.
Consequently, administering a cold infusion often amounts to solving one problem while creating another.
Although it helps stabilize the patient's blood count, a cold blood transfusion increases the patient's risk of cardiac arrest.
Although it delivers medication to dull the patient's pain, a cold medicinal infusion may complicate the patient's surgery.
Warming IV infusions is the only way to eliminate these dangerous complications, and using a portable IV warmer is the only way for first responders to heat the infusions.
Conclusion An EMS IV kit should contain a portable IV warmer for four reasons: warm infusions decreases the risk of cardiac arrest, makes patients easier to treat in the emergency room, fights hypothermia instead of making it worse, and prevents IV induced hypothermia.
Many hospitals now use portable IV warmers, but many EMS services do not.
If your service is among them, contact a supplier of fire and EMS supplies to learn more about the benefits of using portable IV warmers for emergency care.
Sold by suppliers of fire and EMS supplies, portable IV warmers help prevent hypothermia, cardiac arrest, and lowered immune system function.
Although many hospitals use the devices in emergency rooms and surgery units, other emergency services have yet to adopt them.
Should emergency IV kits contain a portable warmer? Below are four reasons why it should.
Decreases the risk of cardiac arrest Research shows that administering cold blood transfusions increases the risk for cardiac arrest.
Regardless of victim's cardiac condition, infusing them with cold blood can send them into cardiac arrest that precipitates a fatal heart attack.
The tragic effect of cold blood transfusions on wounded soldiers is well known, but injury victims are no different; their heart responds to a cold blood transfusion the same way a soldier's does.
Makes patients easier to treat in the hospital Hypothermic patients who undergo surgery are at risk for life threatening hypothermia and hospital-acquired infections.
Some anesthetics have a cooling effect on the body that worsens existing hypothermia.
When a patient must receive such an anesthetic, having a stable body temperature before receiving it is of utmost importance.
Because hypothermia decreases immune function, it also lessens the chance of infection in a patient's wounds.
An EMS IV kit that contains an IV warmer helps paramedics resolve hypothermia before injury victims are treated in the hospital.
Many injury victims suffer from hypothermia Suppliers of fire and EMS supplies recognize the high incidence of hypothermia among injury victims.
Hypothermia is a result of the exposure to cold temperatures, but it also stems from the over consumption of alcohol, drug use, blood loss, and shock.
Treating the hypothermia that these events cause while treating the patient's other symptoms is essential for helping the patient make a speedy recovery.
Cold infusions cause hypothermia Cold infusions do more than make hypothermia worse; they often cause it to occur.
Consequently, administering a cold infusion often amounts to solving one problem while creating another.
Although it helps stabilize the patient's blood count, a cold blood transfusion increases the patient's risk of cardiac arrest.
Although it delivers medication to dull the patient's pain, a cold medicinal infusion may complicate the patient's surgery.
Warming IV infusions is the only way to eliminate these dangerous complications, and using a portable IV warmer is the only way for first responders to heat the infusions.
Conclusion An EMS IV kit should contain a portable IV warmer for four reasons: warm infusions decreases the risk of cardiac arrest, makes patients easier to treat in the emergency room, fights hypothermia instead of making it worse, and prevents IV induced hypothermia.
Many hospitals now use portable IV warmers, but many EMS services do not.
If your service is among them, contact a supplier of fire and EMS supplies to learn more about the benefits of using portable IV warmers for emergency care.
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