2010 EMS World Innovation Awards

   The 2010 EMS World Expo took us to the Lone Star State of Texas, with Dallas being our host city. Attendees had the opportunity to sit in on some great continuing education classes, as well as make their way through a virtual sea of vendors and manufacturers who were showcasing the latest and greatest tools of our trade. Read on to find my top 20 product picks and innovations from this year's Expo.

Cardiac STATus from AllMed

   In the world of emergency cardiac care and management of myocardial infarction, the battle cry "time is muscle" remains true. Reducing the time from onset of symptoms until the patient gets definitive care, be that administration of thrombolytics, a trip to the cath lab or even surgery for a CABG, remains the primary goal.

   While most EMS systems have stepped up to the plate with the use of STEMI (ST segment elevation myocardial infarction) protocols, there remain the challenges of identification and proper routing for the more elusive non-STEMI patients. For these patients who are actually having an MI, but who present with a non-diagnostic EKG, the diagnostic decision is based on blood tests to identify the three rapid cardiac markers: troponin I, CK-MB and myoglobin.

   You can now quickly and inexpensively test for these three cardiac markers in the field setting with the Cardiac STATus from AllMed. It's a simple, three-step procedure that provides you with actionable results at the point of care in just 15 minutes. There is no separate instrument or capital expenditure required, as the Cardiac STATus is a single-use, disposable device. No daily quality control or calibration are required either, as controls are on-board already. The Cardiac STATus can be stored at room temperature until ready to use. Simply dispense blood into the unit, wait 15 minutes and read the results.

   From a clinical perspective, the Cardiac STATus allows you to confidently transfer the patient to an appropriate care pathway. Financially, you can effectively work through reimbursement and improved resource utilization issues; operationally, you get enhanced ED throughput and bed utilization. It's a true trifecta of MI management in a small, single-use, disposable device.

   Give your NSTEMI patients the best technology has to offer with the Cardiac STATus from AllMed.

   Visit www.allmed.net; call 888/633-6908.

Ambu Airway SmartMan from Ambu

   Without question, airway management is one of the most essential elements of quality prehospital care. What makes airway management particularly challenging is that it is a combination of assessment interwoven with management. As you are continually evaluating airway patency, breathing mechanics and gas exchange, you must periodically intervene to assure your patient is breathing adequately. Examples of interventions include administering a breathing treatment, assisting ventilations or intubating patients.

   When your patient is no longer breathing and you must pass an ET tube and then breathe for the patient, there is little room for error. That raises the question of how a provider develops these critical skills, especially with the difficulty of obtaining meaningful clinical experience.

    Because of those difficulties in the clinical setting, the next logical choice is to utilize manikins and simulators to provide the training experience. If you are considering using a manikin for this type of training, your first choice should be the Ambu Airway SmartMan from Ambu.

   What really puts the Ambu Airway SmartMan in a league of its own is a short list of three. First is ease of operation. Like any computer-driven device, there is a learning curve associated with both hardware and software, but the Ambu Airway SmartMan has user-friendly software and intuitive controls.