The Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority (KCEAA) is advancing its technology in the field with the help of Verizon Wireless.
The KCEAA, which responds to all 911 emergency medical and trauma calls in Kanawha County, has partnered with Verizon Wireless for the past three years on its voice and data needs. With the expansion of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, the KCEAA is working to update its technology to work in the LTE environment.
“We’re talking about real-time situational awareness,” said KCEAA Director Jeff Harbour. “We have more information at our fingertips, which means better decisions and better care.”
The KCEAA already utilizes mobile technology in its fleet of ambulances. Each ambulance transmits a GPS signal to the command center, has a 3G wireless router and can act as a WiFi hotspot. Emergency personnel use electronic patient care forms to transmit data securely. Responders can even share electrocardiogram (EKG) results in real-time with hospital personnel, which allows for better care for the patient upon arrival at the hospital.
“Our responders can run an EKG in the field and identify the type of heart attack,” said Harbour. “If it’s a STEMI (ST segment elevation myocardial infarction), we can make that call in the field and on most occasions bypass the ER and go straight to the catheterization lab.”
The result can be life-saving for cardiac patients. Since February 2011, the KCEAA has identified 98 myocardial infarctions in the field, which was communicated to the hospital in seconds through the Verizon Wireless 3G network.
Now the KCEAA is working to integrate 4G LTE technology into its field equipment. Harbour said he expects the upgrades to be complete in July 2013.
The 4G LTE network will support new and existing equipment such as a telemedicine device that streams video from the ambulance to the hospital. The network will mean a faster transmission of data and more real-time data sharing.
