McKenzie Purchases Life-Saving Cardiac Equipment

McKENZIE (September 3) — When a person suffers a serious cardiac emergency, minutes — and sometimes seconds — can make the difference between life and death.

The City of McKenzie is working to make those minutes count with the purchase of a cardiac monitor and defibrillator that will allow local first responders to begin a higher level of emergency cardiac care while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

McKenzie Police and McKenzie Fire and Rescue have partnered to purchase a certified refurbished Zoll X-Series Defibrillator for $19,526.60. The equipment will provide first responders with real-time information about a patient’s condition and help bridge the critical gap between a 911 call, the arrival of an ambulance and treatment at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County.

The purchase comes at no expense to McKenzie taxpayers. The city is using money from its Safe Street account, which consists of revenue generated by traffic cameras.

A new cardiac monitor would cost approximately $48,868. By purchasing a certified refurbished unit, the city saved approximately $29,341.40 while obtaining the capabilities needed by McKenzie’s emergency responders.

McKenzie Fire Chief Brian Tucker said the refurbished designation should not be confused with simply purchasing used equipment. The unit must pass inspection and certification requirements and essentially combines an existing exterior housing with replaced or renewed internal components. While there is no guaranteed lifespan for the device, it can remain in service as long as it continues to meet required inspections and certifications.

The Zoll X-Series is also compatible with the automated external defibrillators already used by McKenzie’s first responders and is the same type of equipment used aboard Baptist Priority ambulances. That compatibility means information gathered by McKenzie responders can follow the patient through the next stages of emergency care.

For McKenzie Fire and Rescue’s paramedic-level responders, the monitor provides information they can interpret immediately to determine the appropriate course of treatment. EMT-level responders can use the information to communicate with a physician at the hospital and provide critical care under medical direction while awaiting ambulance transport.

Among the device’s most important capabilities is a 12-lead electrocardiogram, or ECG, which can help responders rapidly identify an ST-elevation myocardial infarction, commonly known as a STEMI or serious heart attack. Identifying a STEMI in the field can give hospital personnel valuable advance notice and reduce the time between the onset of an emergency and definitive treatment.

The monitor also provides real-time feedback during CPR, including information about the depth and rate of chest compressions. Its See-Thru CPR technology filters out interference caused by chest compressions, allowing responders to better observe the patient’s underlying heart rhythm without unnecessarily interrupting CPR.

A single responder can carry the monitor along with a primary medical bag, making it easier to rapidly deploy the equipment during routine emergencies as well as incidents involving multiple patients.

The capability is particularly significant considering the volume of medical calls handled by McKenzie’s first responders. Approximately 67 percent of McKenzie Fire and Rescue’s calls are medical emergencies. The department currently has 11 EMS- and paramedic-level personnel.

The need for local first responders to provide immediate medical intervention became even more critical following the closure of McKenzie’s hospital in 2018. The loss of the hospital left the city without a local emergency room and reflects a growing problem across rural America, where hospital closures and declining access to emergency and specialized care are creating medical deserts — communities where residents must travel greater distances or wait longer to receive critical medical treatment.

For McKenzie, the absence of a hospital and limited ambulance resources add a layer of uncertainty to each medical emergency.

Ambulance service for the area is provided by Priority Ambulance Service, which is contracted by Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County. Depending on ambulance availability and location at the time of a call, McKenzie Police and Fire and Rescue personnel are regularly the first medical responders to reach a patient.

The new cardiac monitor is intended to help bridge that gap. Rather than simply waiting with a patient for transport, properly trained McKenzie responders will have access to technology capable of assessing a patient’s heart, assisting with CPR and providing information that can be communicated to medical personnel before the patient reaches the hospital.

“I am truly proud that the police and fire department work so well together,” said McKenzie Police Chief Ryan White. “We are grateful to be able to provide a higher level of care for McKenzie citizens.”

Three companies — Master Medical, Bound Tree Medical and Discount Medical — submitted bids for the equipment. Each provided a bid with the necessary features, but Bound Tree Medical offered the required capabilities at the best price.

Tucker said the department should not have to wait long before putting its newest life-saving tool into service.

“Bound Tree Medical is generally very prompt,” Tucker said. “We could have it as early as the end of next week.”

For a rural community facing the realities of a medical desert, without its own hospital and with limited ambulance resources, the equipment gives McKenzie’s first responders another way to bring a higher level of emergency care directly to the patient — during the minutes when that care can matter most.