Department members of the Paynesville Area Ambulance Department are excited, and grateful, for a donation of equipment that was recently gifted to them, that they have received training on, and are ready to put to good use saving lives in our communities.

The excitement over the AutoPulse® was more than evident at a recent training session held at the Paynesville Ambulance training facility. The final members to be trained on the AutoPulse were holding practice drills and discussing the equipment that will aid them in most cardiac arrest rescue calls. “I truly believe that patients of our area are going to have a better survival rate,” commented Dave Schutz, squad member and certified CPR trainer. 

Steve Stang, Manager of the Paynesville Ambulance Services for Paynesville Area Health Care System, said that the AutoPulse was an anonymous gift to the department, through the Paynesville Area Hospital Foundation. “It’s really given our entire department a boost,” commented Stang. “To know that someone in our service area cared enough about not only our work, but the people that we serve, it’s very exciting. This is a perfect example of how a gift can really keep on giving.”

Steve said that after receiving a phone call from the potential donor, they met to discuss possible equipment needs that could make the most impact for the department, and for the community. Steve said that he had seen the AutoPulse equipment at a conference and was impressed with its capabilities and quality. The AutoPulse, produced by ZOLL®, is the same company that manufactures the defibrillator used by the department. “After speaking with the company representative, we were able to secure a demo unit that was still like new, but saved a considerable amount of money when considering the AutoPulse purchase can be up to $15,000. We were also able to demonstrate the use of the equipment for the donator, which made the decision making a comfortable fit for everyone. They were very involved in the research of the equipment and knowledge of it’s use.

Now ready for use and stored in the Paynesville ambulance, the AutoPulse is a computerized non-invasive cardiac support pump, placed underneath the patient with a LifeBand® belt that squeezes the entire chest and provides nearly perfect compressions to the heart. It can relieve the rescue squad from the fatigue of long periods of manual CPR and assist them in situations where it is not possible to provide a patient with continuous compressions, such as going up or down stairs, or carrying a person in and out of buildings. The AutoPulse also helps keep more air in a patient’s lungs with computer generated compressions, by holding more pressure than manual efforts over long periods of time. “It sizes up each individual patient’s chest size during the start-up phase and the compressions that it produces increases the blood flow and volume. Not only does it do a great job, it frees up the hands of our rescue teams to assist the patient in other ways, and increases safety during transport. In a cardiac scenario there are certain steps and techniques that you want to maintain with tremendous consistency. It’s an amazing piece of equipment and we are feeling very blessed that someone in our community felt so strongly about assisting us in our work. We’re anxious to use it to assist others,” said Steve.

Not only will the new equipment be used on rescue calls, physicians and nurses in the emergency room of Paynesville Hospital will call for the equipment in any cardiac situations arriving on the scene. “We want the AutoPulse available to save lives in every cardiac situation,” said Angie Tschida, ambulance member. It’s causing us to evaluate each cardiac emergency situation in a whole new way. We also want to remind people never to second guess whether or not to place a call if a person feels there is potential for cardiac arrest. We are here to assist, and we would much rather show up to a call earlier than later.”

Paynesville Area Hospital Foundation Coordinator, Jennifer Engen, praised the example of giving that this couple has provided. “Giving comes from the heart,” said Engen. “Donations are best fitted when a donator can meet a need that truly provides a difference for others. Our foundation is working hard to increase it’s exposure to the many exciting rewards of giving, large or small. Together, we are making a significant difference in resident and patient care.”

Christmas came in mid December for members of the Paynesville Ambulance, and just like a kids with a new toy, they are all smiles and ready to utilize the life saving capabilities of AutoPulse thanks to an anonymous donor that provided a new way to help save a life in central Minnesota. For more information on the Paynesville Area Hospital Foundation, contact Jennifer Engen or visit www.pahcs.com.