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New EMS equipment has alreaday saved lives
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John Wheeler uses King Vision to intubate a dummy at Effingham County EMS headquarters in Springfield. - photo by Mark Lastinger/staff

SPRINGFIELD — Even the best medical hands need help occasionally.
In Effingham County, assistance frequently comes in the form of the highly advanced machines.
Last fall, Effingham County EMS started using the third generation of the Lund Hospital Cardiac Arrest System (LUCAS). The device provides external cardiac compression to patients suffering cardiac arrest.
“Chest compression is probably one of the key elements that we focus on,” Effingham County EMS Director Wanda McDuffie said.
Performing 102 compressions per minute with a depth of 2.1 inches, LUCAS can be deployed quickly with minimal interruption to patient care. It is used in more than 80 countries in rural and metropolitan environments.
“It gives adequate, good depth, a good ratio of compressions,” McDuffie said.
“It’s pretty simple to use, too,” EMT John Wheeler said.
By providing consistent, high-quality chest compressions, the LUCAS 3 can free up personnel to let them focus on other critical emergency patient care such as defibrillation intubation, IV placement and transportation.
“Without it, whenever you go to move a patient, you generally can’t continue doing compressions,” Wheeler said.
The LUCAS 3 can also provide high-quality compressions in situations where manual CPR may be dangerous or challenging for providers.
“Having more tools at our disposal definitely helps out,” Wheeler said. “The patient outcomes are a lot better.”

See the May 23 edition of the Effingham Herald for more details.