LAKE GENEVA, Wis. — The Lake Geneva Fire Department is using new technology to help save more lives while responding to medical emergencies.
The Lake Geneva Fire Department is just one of only a few departments using new ultrasound technology to help save lives on the way to the hospital.
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The Lake Geneva Fire Department is just one of only a few departments using new ultrasound technology to help save lives on the way to the hospital
Detkowski said the very first day the ultrasound was in action; the department got to use it on a patient who was choking and then went into cardiac arrest
They have ultrasounds in both Lake Geneva stations and another in the Town Of Linn department
The devices cost around $14,000 each
An ultrasound is not often something you see in the back of an ambulance. It’s a new advancement that Dr. Robert Langenohl, an Emergency Health Physician with Mercyhealth, said was brought into law this year.
The Lake Geneva Fire Department deployed its new cardiac ultrasound in its ambulances this month with the hope of saving more lives and better treating those dealing with cardiac arrest.
“It’s very incredible because EMS is becoming data-driven, fact-based decisions,” Lake Geneva Fire Department Division Chief Dennis Detkowski said. “This is one of the few things that can demonstrate will actually make a difference in regard to our care and the decisions we make while in the field.”
(Spectrum News 1/Megan Marshall)
Mercyhealth works with both Walworth and Rock counties in Wisconsin to help guide medical training and protocols.
Dr. Langenohl said they had a helping hand in implementing the training and education on using the cardiac ultrasound in ambulances while rolling out this new technology.
“We can use the ultrasound and see if the heart is actually beating or not and that can change management and more individualize the treatment for that individual and hopefully lead to better outcomes,” Dr. Langenohl said.
The devices cost around $14,000 each. The Lake Geneva Fire Department said the funding is a part of their budget. They have ultrasounds in both Lake Geneva stations and another in the Town Of Linn department.
(Spectrum News 1/Megan Marshall)
Detkowski said the very first day the ultrasound was in action; the department got to use it on a patient who was choking and then went into cardiac arrest. He said it helped create a better outcome for the patient they treated.
“When we deploy a new tool, the goal is to save lives,” Detkowski said. “We don’t always necessarily see the rewards brought back to use right away. But with this one we got to see a reward within the first 24 hours. That was very humbling.”
The Lake Geneva Fire Department is one of the first few departments to use this technology in the field in the state of Wisconsin.