Inside an ambulance
High- tech, low- tech — in training, and in procedures — B. C. Ambulance Service is constantly innovating
From blood- warmers to heart monitors and portable IVs, B. C. Ambulance Service has been an early adopter of state- of- the- art health technology. Besides bringing in new equipment, BCAS is also at the forefront when it comes to training its medics and incorporating innovative programs. For instance, BCAS paramedics are trained to identify acute heart attack victims, and to transmit ECG info from the scene to hospitals. Emergency departments then have time to prepare for an incoming patient, thus lessening pain and potential damage. In the auto-launch protocol, a dispatcher can launch both a helicopter and a ground ambulance to an emergency based on information received from bystanders ( usually at the scene of a road accident). This unique- to- B. C. simultaneous dispatch reduces the time to get severely injured patients to a trauma ward. And BCAS is one of only two ambulance care services in Canada that uses critical care paramedics. This Critical Care Transport Program brings highly trained paramedics to the patient, along with the portable technology shown here. As vice- president of medical programs for BC Emergency Health Services and BC Ambulance, Dr. William Dick provides medical oversight for paramedics and physicians. He and a committee of physicians, paramedics and procurement specialists constantly review new technologies “to determine clinical benefi ts for patients in the fi eld,” he said in an email. One program he is particularly excited about is a new blood transfusion initiative providing timelier blood products to trauma patients. “We’re always engaging with our health- care and industry partners to fi nd better ways to provide patient care in the fi eld,” Dick said. The explanations of the innovations shown here are from Rob Wand, a BCAS critical care paramedic and senior supervisor: