Physiocontrol's Lifepak 11
Monitor / Defibrillator
Diagnostic Cardiac Monitor
Defibrillator / Pacemaker
LIFEPAK 11 Diagnostic Cardiac Monitor
This is one of the most advanced cardiac monitors on the market today. This heart monitor enables us to better determine whether or not a patient is having a heart attack, or as we call it, an AMI - acute myocardial infarction. This is the first heart monitor that Franklin County EMS has had that enables us to perform 12 lead EKG's in the field. We are then able to transmit this information to the Emergency Room via cellular phone lines. The ER staff can then prepare for the patient's arrival. Early detection of an AMI could save the patient's life and limit the degree of damage to the heart muscle.
LIFEPAK 11 Defibrillator / Pacemaker
This is the companion module that attaches to the Diagnostic Cardiac Monitor. This piece of equipment is designed to shock a patient out of the life threatening cardiac rhythms ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. On television you may see medical personnel using hand held paddles to shock patients who are in cardiac arrest. While the LIFEPAK 11 does give us the option to use the paddles, we have chosen to use the hands free method of placing large electrode pads onto the patient's chest.
The Defibrillator / Pacemaker can also take over the electrical impulse that controls the heart's rate when it's beating too slowly. This rhythm is known as bradycardia and can be caused by a heart attack that cuts off the blood supply to the heart's "spark plug", the sinoatrial node. In this case the pacemaker is only a temporary device until an internal pacemaker can be put in.
