A Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued by the County of Fairfax in March 2018 for the purchase of various medical supplies for the County. The County of Fairfax has a cooperative clause which allows other localities to purchase various medical supplies from the awarded vendor, Bound Tree. The County is purchasing six (6) ALS vent packs and thirteen (13) IV pumps for use in various ambulances
Both of these devices are new capabilities. The transport ventilators will allow EMS providers to better tailor ventilation rates and volumes to an intubated patient’s needs. Currently EMS providers must use a bag valve mask (BVM) to ventilate intubated patients and this can potentially lead to over- or under- ventilation of the patient. Over- and under- ventilation has potentially serious side effects for the patient. The new ventilator will allow EMS providers to adjust parameters for certain patient populations, such as COPD patients, to maintain the ventilation rate and volume in the desired therapeutic range versus using a bag valve mask for ventilation. Precise control of ventilation rates and volumes can lead to better patient outcomes. The IV pumps will allow for more precise IV infusion medication dosing. The lack of accuracy in dosing may result in inadequate dosing or overdosing of the medication. All medications have a therapeutic range in which the desired effects of the medication are realized. IV infusion medications are particularly sensitive to proper dosing to reach therapeutic goals. The IV pumps will allow EMS providers to maintain the IV infusion medications in the proper therapeutic range for maximum patient benefit. Pediatric patients require tightly controlled IV fluid administration, and the IV pump will allow for better control of IV fluid administration doses in pediatric patients. EMS providers currently set and monitor the IV infusion doses by watching the drip chamber of the IV line and count fluid drops. Accurately setting the dose range is difficult in a moving ambulance leading to imprecise medication administration. |