Author: Josh Kasper

The Go-To Infusion Pump for Transport EMS

Hey there, Nathan Schrupp from Master Medical Equipment here. Today, let’s explore why the Sapphire Infusion Pump from Eitan Medical stands head and shoulders above other infusion pumps in the EMS field. The Sapphire infusion pump isn’t just another option; it’s a unique game-changer for air and ground EMS and home/clinical settings.

Unmatched Portability

The Sapphire IV Pump is one of only two infusion pumps rated for transport. For both ground and air EMS, the Sapphire should be your go-to. Why? It’s not just small and compact; the sapphire infusion system is a lightweight powerhouse of accuracy and precision. No need for a bulky infusion pump; the Sapphire is your sleek, portable, and economical option.

Precision and Ease of Use

The most important reason for using this pump over other options is its precision and unmatched ease of use. Your organization can build a customized drug library, using Eitan’s software, which can be customized to your aircraft, ambulance, or clinical setting. When I first started learning emergency medicine infusion pumps, we had to calculate each infusion by hand. A drug library with a simple interface takes all the guesswork out of those calculations, especially in very critical situations with high stress and multiple chaotic things happening.

Demo Time

Let me show you just how fast it is to set up an infusion on the Sapphire. In 38 seconds, we programmed a dopamine infusion from start to finish. That’s the Sapphire’s speed in action.

Challenging the Status Quo

As a clinician, it’s easy to claim your current system is easy because it’s familiar. But is it truly easy? We know it takes time to do the calculations, using formulas for adult, pediatric, or neonatal patients to find medication and dose rates. A huge stressor for clinicians is the accuracy of the math. Man, did I get that number right? Was my formula accurate? Should that decimal place been moved over? The Sapphire liberates you from the manual effort of calculation and removes the stress of second-guessing the accuracy of your math. Why would you want that burden when a device like this is designed to deliver industry-leading accuracy and precision?

Freedom in the Ambulance

Picture this: You’re in the back of an ambulance or high in the air, juggling multiple critical tasks for a patient’s safety. The Sapphire infusion pump frees up your hands and mind with pre-set guardrails, allowing you to concentrate on what you do best—caring for the patient.

Ready to experience the Sapphire Infusion pump’s difference for your EMS transport medical needs? Reach out to Master Medical Equipment. Our knowledgeable sales reps are here to provide a quote or set you up with a rental for a hands-on experience. Trust in the Sapphire—where precision meets portability, and where your peace of mind is the priority.

Patient Lifting Strap: Made by First Responders for First Responders

The PAL Strap is a revolutionary tool for EMS providers, quickly becoming a staple for every ambulance, fire engine, and emergency vehicle. Designed by a firefighter who wanted to improve the risky and unreliable “lift-with-bedsheets” process, the PAL strap is a versatile tool that speeds up the lifting process, reduces liability, improves comfort for the patient, and reduces strain on the responders.

How do you lift patients?

Every day, firefighters, paramedics, assisted care workers, and any emergency responder who’s been on a patient lift call tell us they’re still lifting fallen patients with bedsheets. Lifting with bedsheets is unsanitary for the responder, is a different assembly each time, and introduces risks of slipping, ripping, or disbalancing an elderly or bariatric patient. Bedsheets have no instructions for proper assembly and, therefore, are never assembled the same way twice. Sheets can’t be trusted to safely lift the patient or protect the responder from back injury. This level of liability is almost unimaginable in this day and age.

How should you lift patients?

The PAL Strap is a simple, belt-like strap that goes under a patient’s legs and behind their back to form a stable basket with a lifting handle on each side. In addition to the lifting handles, the back strap offers reliable, easy purchase points, especially compared to bedsheets. Once assembled around the patient, EMS locks their front foot in front of the patient, creating a leverage point. Because of the weight distribution and the accessible lifting handles, assisting the patient to their feet from here takes a fraction the effort of other methods. With this approach, small responders can easily and safely lift much larger patients without fear of injury to themselves or the victim.

The PAL Strap can also lift a patient directly up from a seated position. This technique can move a patient to a stair chair, wheelchair, or bed. Additionally, most first responders can, with lifters on either side, raise a patient into a cot or stretcher. This same technique can also lift a patient out of a car seat or from a stretcher to a hospital bed.

The PAL strap comes in a rugged kit with three sizes: Regular, Large, and X-Large. The regular strap (red) will be your primary strap, suitable to lift at least 90% of your patients. EMS have even started replacing their medical bag’s default strap with a red PAL strap and two carabiners, further improving the usefulness and utility of their bag and ensuring a lift-assist strap is with their go-bag at all times.

The PAL strap is ideal for scenarios where minimal intrusion is needed. For example, when the fire department needs to lift a patient quickly without intruding on the privacy or personal life of the patient to regain their comfort and maintain their dignity. Our very own Ms. Donna helped demonstrate how this tool can be instrumental in aiding patients. We placed Ms. Donna in common places where someone in a residential healthcare setting is likely to slip or fall, someplace where EMS would likely be called. The strap lifts her with ease and keeps her comfortable and secure.

Best of all, the PAL strap disassembles in seconds. Removing the bedsheets from underneath a lifted patient is a chore. Paramedics shimmy the patient around, wrestling to scoot the sheets out from underneath. With the PAL Strap, you simply pull the loop apart and slide the strap out from behind the patient’s back. We aren’t kidding when we say an experienced paramedic can disassemble the strap and remove it from a patient in under five seconds.

The PAL Strap prioritizes both patient comfort and first responder safety. The patient’s weight secures the girth hitch and ensures the patient is stable and at ease throughout the lifting process. Equally important, however, caregivers guarantee a snug and comfortable fit by confirming the strap’s presence around the thighs and providing support along the back. The PAL Strap has two strong handles that naturally provide patient stability and minimize extra strain on the EMS provider.

The PAL Strap comes in a kit of three straps and includes the Standard, Large, and X-Large sizes. Choosing which strap to use is based on the patient’s build, not weight. A kit costs only $219 and, when used correctly, greatly reduces possible liability for fallen patients. With its commitment to standardized techniques and provider safety, the PAL Strap sets the bar for EMS-first lift-assist solutions. Purchase or learn more about the PAL strap here, or contact us today for bulk order discounts.

INTRODUCTION

Over the Summer, we put out an open survey to the EMS community, asking for feedback about difficulties facing paramedics’ daily lives and their experience with abuse of the 911 emergency system via non-emergency transports. We asked First Responders to propose specific, directed solutions that could build awareness and begin to bring around change in their state and local communities. The survey quickly spread around EMS circles, and before we knew it, we had collected almost two hundred responses in just over a week. Read what real paramedics had to say about this issue that has been largely unaddressed. (PDF version of the report can be found here)

ABOUT OUR RESPONDENTS

In 2023, our conversations with EMS, paramedics, and first responders all revolved around one main issue: abuse of the 911 system. We wanted to give the industry a voice to explore this problem, raise awareness, and begin forming solutions.

ABOUT THE PROBLEM: 911 System Abuse

Ambulances are often called to transport patients who aren’t experiencing a medical emergency or don’t need a hospital at all. Here’s what EMS professionals had to say about these transports:

90%: Respondents agree that non-emergency transports in the 911 system are a misallocation of time and resources.

94%: Respondents agree that patients using the 911 system as non-emergency transport puts unnecessary strain on our healthcare infrastructure.

59%: Respondents agree that patients using the 911 system as non-emergency transport is the biggest challenge their service faces.

THE SIZE OF THE PROBLEM: 911 System Abuse

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?

We asked respondents to propose some solutions. Here were the most frequently mentioned ideas:

#01 Consequences/Cost for Non-Emergent Abusers

“Being able to charge a flat fee even to those on [Medicare], who never ever get a bill for services. Even if it’s a small bill, it would make them think twice if they needed an ambulance or if they could get there themselves. And being able to penalize them for non-payment of bills for a bill that came from non-emergency ambulance usage.”

#02 Educate the Public on Proper Use of EMS

“Teach the proper use of EMS in schools at like middle school and high school. Similar to when PD and Fire go to schools talking about when to call 911.”

#03 Allow EMS to Refer Non-Emergencies

“Give EMS personnel the ability to transport to alternate destinations (i.e. urgent care clinic) and/or refuse transport for complaints which should be handled by a PCP/in the outpatient setting.”

#04 Healthcare Reform

• “Implement a tiered response system with BLS and ALS response and transport.”
• “EMS needs to be considered an Essential Service like Fire and Police.”
• “Better access to mental health care so people don’t always have to wait until crisis.”
• “Community Paramedicine in rural areas.”

#05 Create Non-Emergency Alternatives

“Ability to call for non-emergent transport for patients that do not need an ambulance.”

#06 Funding & Staffing

“Improved State and Federal funding and recognition that EMS does have an impact on the quality of life in the community.”

OTHER TOP ISSUES

#01 Wages
#02 Staffing Shortages
#03 Mental Health & Burnout
#04 Lack of Funding
#05 Leadership
#06 Mismanagement of Time/Resources
#07 Public Perception
#08 Lack of Education & Training

JOIN THE CAUSE: Getting Involved/Action Steps

There is no simple solution to abuse of the 911 system and the strain that EMS professionals experience, but here are ways you can join the cause and make an impact.

Reach Out to Your Representatives

Significant change needs to take place in emergency services. Local, state, and federal legislature can help protect both patients and professionals and shape the future of the EMS profession for the better. NAEMT keeps close tabs on EMS-related legislature on their advocacy webpage (naemt.org/advocacy), so you can research specific bills and look up your representative all in one convenient place.

Advocate for Community Paramedicine

Community paramedicine is an emerging field in healthcare where some EMS providers, including EMTs and paramedics, are designated to perform “home visits” to those requiring primary care or preventative care. This alleviates the strain on the 911 paramedics by reducing their non-emergency transports. Rural communities would significantly benefit from this model, as they often call 911 because they have no other medical provider available.

Expand Mental Health Services

Lack of mental health services negatively impacts EMS professionals and their patients. People suffering from debilitating mental health issues may have nowhere to go to receive treatment, so they call 911 and often abuse the system. However, EMS also face mental health challenges due to their stressful work. Contact representatives and inform them that mental health services must be expanded and support relevant legislation.

Opportunities for Upward Mobility

EMS leaders are advocates for themselves and the EMS professionals employed. However, the EMS career ladder can be confusing, as there’s not always a clear next step for career advancement. The National EMS Advisory Council (NEMSAC) is exploring creating graduate degrees to give EMS clinicians greater authority in a medical emergency (authority to prescribe or refer patients). EMS leaders should be the best they can be and pour into the next generation of leaders so EMS keeps its talented young professionals.

Public Relations Campaigns

The public should be aware of the proper use of the 911 system. Education initiatives in schools and community centers could help patients know when calling an ambulance is appropriate and what the alternatives are when an ambulance is not necessary but medical help is still needed.

At Master Medical Equipment, our mission is to equip first responders to save more lives, one relationship at a time. We equip EMS professionals with resources; not just capital medical equipment, but also by raising awareness and promoting issues including wages, burnout, staffing, mental health, and daily abuse of the 911 system. We’re asking you to join the fight alongside us. Join the conversation on social media and let us know how we can help you share your story.

Lifting up Residential Care: Patient Lifts in Assisted Care Settings

Gary Candela from First Res joins us today to demonstrate the application of the Patient Assist Lift (PAL) Strap, a simple harness designed to lift fallen patients. The PAL Strap has been adopted by many first responders who respond to patient lift calls, such as Fire Rescue, EMS, and non-medical first responders. The PAL strap is also a versatile tool that can help improve comfort and reduce strain on caregivers in residential care, assisted care, nursing homes, post-acute care, and other healthcare facilities.

How do you lift your patients?

Every day, nursing caregivers, assisted care facilities, and home patient-lift first responders tell us they’re still lifting patients with bedsheets. Lifting with bedsheets is unsanitary for caregivers, is a different assembly each time, and introduces risks of slipping, ripping, or disbalancing an elderly patient. Bedsheets have no instructions for proper assembly and, therefore, can’t be trusted to safely lift the patient or protect the caregiver from back injury. This level of liability is unthinkable in this day and age.

How should you lift your patients?

The PAL Strap is a simple, belt-like strap that goes under a patient’s legs and behind their back to form a sturdy, stable basket with a comfortable lifting strap on each side. Once assembled around the patient, caregivers can quickly and easily lock their front foot in front of the patient, creating a leverage point. Assisting the patient to their feet from here takes minimal effort. With this method, small caregivers can easily and safely lift much larger patients without fear of injury to themselves or the patient.

The PAL Strap can also lift a patient directly up from a seated position. This technique can move a patient to a stair chair, wheelchair, or bed.

The PAL strap is ideal for many scenarios where minimal intrusion is needed. Instead of calling the fire department to lift an elderly relative, simply keep a PAL strap in the house. Instead of getting five caregivers to heave an assisted care patient, keep a PAL strap within reach. Lifts will be quick and not intrude on the privacy or personal life of the patient to regain their comfort and maintain their dignity.

Best of all, the PAL strap disassembles in seconds. Removing the bedsheets from underneath a lifted patient is a chore. Caregivers shimmy the patient around, wrestling to scoot the sheets out from underneath slowly. With the PAL Strap, you simply pull the loop apart and slide the strap out from behind the patient’s back. We aren’t kidding when we say an experienced rescuer can disassemble the strap and remove it from a patient in under five seconds.

The PAL Strap comes in a kit of three straps and includes the Standard, Large, and X-Large sizes. Choosing which strap to use is based on the patient’s build, not their weight. A kit costs only $219 and if used correctly, removes your facilities liability for fallen patients. Purchase or learn more about the PAL strap here, or contact us today for bulk order discounts.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical practices and EMS agencies find themselves caught in a financial chokehold. Depleted workforces, burnout, rising costs, and the FDA’s PMA proclamation on defibrillators have reached a point no one can ignore. Supply chain issues are resulting in discontinuations and product delays. We are facing many of the same challenges alongside you and have worked with local and national EMS agencies to create solutions to save your facility money and meet the needs of your patients.

Our mission has remained the same: distributing professional devices and services to bring our customers the most value. We offer new and recertified capital equipment at cost-effective prices to save your budget. We work with our in-house biomed depot, ReNew Biomedical, to ensure your equipment meets the manufacturer’s standards with a warranty and is patient-ready. We offer extended service, warranty plans, and accessories to prolong your equipment’s life.

Recertified equipment is, on average, 60% of the cost of new. Your practice can save money while maintaining the same warranty and service level as new equipment. Each MME customer has a dedicated sales rep and account management team to offer quick, streamlined quoting, options, order fulfillment, and service. We ship and service worldwide and work with many OEMs to offer quality equipment and service at the best value. Our reps work within your budget and help you plan the best value for your funding.

We also make the most of equipment that’s no longer functioning. ReNew Biomedical never charges an intake fee; repair work only happens with your approval. If it’s unrepairable, MME can offer a plan to replace your equipment. ReNew works on almost any capital equipment on the market- even discontinued models.

Is a replacement item outside your budget or not in stock? No worries! Master Medical Equipment also has an in-house finance and rental company, JEM Financial, for short-to-long-term equipment rental solutions. Rentals are a great way to try multiple units before deciding on an upgrade, or as a short-term solution to train your staff. There is always a way with Master Medical Equipment and our partner companies!

If you are ever in Tennessee between Memphis and Nashville, stop in and see our companies. Located 5 minutes south of Exit 85, we are always happy to welcome visitors and give you a tour of our expanded 70,000-square-foot facility!

If you have any other questions about our custom solutions, don’t hesitate to contact me, email carrie@mmemed.com or call 731-265-6743 and let’s work together to find the right solution for you!

Carrie Kastner
Government and Educational Sales Representative