Helping save lives, that’s the goal of some new technology in Pitt County ambulances.
Capable of automatically measuring the amount of medicine given to a patient, these infusion pumps take a lot of the burden off of Pitt County paramedics.
Historically, medications and drips are infused by counting the number of drops per minute or a certain amount of time,” said Deputy Director of Pitt County EMS, Jim McArthur. “It eliminates any math work or counting manually of the drops per minute, so it eliminates the potential for errors.
Paid for by the county, nine new infusion pumps were installed in ambulances at the beginning of February, costing just about $2,000 per pump.
McArthur says this new technology was something the paramedics advocated for.
“We don’t know of any medication errors we’ve had over the years here in Pitt County, but we know that it does happen, and from a risk management standpoint, it does enhance the safety, and it does help eliminate some of the risks associated with doing that math, especially in a stressful environment.”
For people like Lauren Clark, knowing paramedics are doing what they can to limit mistakes gives her some reassurance.
As a former nurse, Lauren says she’s already familiar with the technology.
“In emergency situations, there’s so much going on that has to be attended to, especially in lifesaving measures. Having medication machines that can accurately monitor how much medication a patient’s getting is critical and can be lifesaving.”