The local CO ISSUE that won't go away

[Tapout 42]

The Sleepy Hollow EMS fallout from the recent CO poisoning incidents won't die, given the fact that Phelps has a MULTI-victim hyperbaric chamber for CO treatment that has more often than not been un-staffed for the CO poisonings that occured in the Phelps 'hood.

My brothers and sisters, please post your demands for a better-staffed chamber for CO exposure and your reasons for the need. Post specific incidents in which you could have easily brought CO-exposed pts to Phelps but either diverted knowing Phelps was "off-hours and unstaffed"., or still brought those victims into Phelps and had those pts transferred out to an OPEN hyperbaric chamber like Jacobi. I have an open and willing to listen ear who might help us at Phelps find $$ to staff that chamber for more than bankers' hours, but I need to justify the need and I need YOUR help to justify such.

Thanks in advance. Happy New Years to all!

Be safe, please.

Tapout

[joetnymedic 43]

so lets see, hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on a piece of equipment that can save lives, then that piece of equipment goes unmanned and is gathering dust pretty much? word gets around that if you have the type of call that the piece of equipment can treat to divert because it's probably not staffed? 1st waste of money on the original purchase and 2nd patients lives put at risk delaying treatment while they are transported to another facility that can treat them. am i the only one seeing this? someone needs to step up to the plate and get some funding to staff this even if it means putting another trained body in the ER and having it so that person can leave in the event a CO call comes in and they need to operate the chamber. Plus if not needed, it's always another set of hands in the ER for the shift which nobody can tell me isn't needed.

Just my .01 cents - couldnt afford another penny-lol

Joe (former SHAC member circa 98-02)

[NWFDMedic 58]

Wow, I didn't even know Phelps had a multi-victim chamber. We've always brought our CO cases to Jacobi.

[Jybehofd 85]

Its nice to know that Phelps does have a chamber.. but from my understanding the main reason they purchase the chamber and put it into service was for wound treatment.Even if this happened while the chamber was open and staffed... do they have the trained personnel to handle an unstable patient in the chamber? I am not too sure whether or not the medical center's chamber is for wound treatment and or emergency CO or dive injuries?? The only true chamber I know that is for Emergency use is Jacobi's, which is a trip from the Northern Westchester Area. In my experience high concentration of O2 have done a lot over hours for a patient.. aka NRB then step down to a nasal canual.

[ny10570 745]

The Phelps unit is staffed by very capable and competent people. Its far from being unused as its used in a number of different treatments and was part of a successful DOH pilot to expand hyperbaric therapy.

However maybe tapout can correct me but I believe the Phelps chamber cannot dive ventilated patients. Phelps also isn't a burn center and last I checked doesn't have a substantial stock of cyanide antidote. So asside from an uncomplicated straight CO exposure the patients need to go to a more capable facility like Jacobi.

[Jybehofd 85]

The Phelps unit is staffed by very capable and competent people. Its far from being unused as its used in a number of different treatments and was part of a successful DOH pilot to expand hyperbaric therapy.

However maybe tapout can correct me but I believe the Phelps chamber cannot dive ventilated patients. Phelps also isn't a burn center and last I checked doesn't have a substantial stock of cyanide antidote. So asside from an uncomplicated straight CO exposure the patients need to go to a more capable facility like Jacobi.

You actually got me thinking when you mentioned cyanide treatment/antidote.... why can't we be more proactive and get the Taylor kit for ALS providers. One way we can offset the cost of the kit can be applying for a grant as a drug against WMD. But that would have to be done by someone a little more tactful and good with grant writing. But this might be an interesting read though.

CO Treamtment in the Field