Automatic Blood Pressure Cuff

Authority gets heart monitors

MARTINSBURG - Just three months after the Berkeley County Emergency Ambulance Authority received a $10 increase in its annual household service fee, new medical equipment is being purchased - an improvement that will save local lives, said Chief Donnie Scheuch.

"It's because of that increase we've been able to begin purchasing badly needed equipment, some that we've been needing for years," Scheuch said.

New heart monitors were a priority so they could be used in conjunction with City Hospital's technology, he said. Unfortunately, the ones being used until recently didn't have this technological compatibility and couldn't transmit to the hospital, Scheuch said.

As a result, approximately $100,000 has recently been spent to purchase eight new heart monitors to put on the field units, Scheuch said, adding that benefits are already being realized from this change.

"Especially with the hospital's new cath lab, we needed to be able to transmit 12-lead EKGs - which look at all angles of the heart to tell if there's a blockage and where the heart attack is located - from the field to the hospital so they would be able to have the cardiac cath team ready for us by the time we get there. They have 30 minutes from the time we notify them to be there and be ready to accept the patient," Scheuch said.

"This is important because the faster you can get the person to the cath lab, the better off they generally come out," he said.

Every minute counts during a heart attack and delays can cause additional damage to the heart, Scheuch said, stressing that potential heart attack symptoms such as chest pains should always be reported to emergency personnel as soon as possible.

"We don't want people to hesitate to call, because that's why we are here - that's part of the reason people pay this fee. We want everyone to have the best possible outcome and for people to be able to recover fully with cardiac rehab," he said.

He said the new monitors also have other improvements, such as carbon dioxide monitoring to watch a patient's respiration and ensure that certain levels are maintained, as well as automatic blood pressure cuffs that continually take readings while medicine is being administered.

"We've also purchased the CPAP module to help when someone is having trouble breathing by delivering positive pressure to the patient by forcing the air in and forcing the fluid out of their lungs," Scheuch said.

He said 10 CPAP modules were purchased at about $1,200 each, and they will be used by all the units in the county.

Sivan Digital Blood Pressure Monitor With Systolic and Diastolic ...

It's common to get nervous at the doctor's office, but that nervousness can translate into high blood pressure readings. Commonly called 'white coat syndrome', this anxiety may cause a misdiagnosis of high blood pressure.

Measure your blood pressure at home and match it with the readings from your office visit using the Sivan Digital Blood Pressure Monitor. Just place the adjustable Velcro armband around your wrist and the monitor will measure both systolic and diastolic values. The armband automatically inflates and deflates, then displays your blood pressure on its LCD screen. An intelligent error detector will alert you if the monitor is not properly adjusted, assuring an accurate reading. With the many complications like stroke and heart-attack associated with high blood pressure, it's always a great idea to monitor your own.

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