EMS Division

The overwhelming bulk of our emergency reponses continues to be EMS alarms.

King County EMS changed AED protocols to reemphasize the importance of CPR rather than defibrillation. Patient outcome is measured by the number of patients released from the hospital post cardiac arrest. Through statistical analysis, it became apparent that King County’s outstanding survival rate was slipping. Research demonstrated the culprit to be loss of CPR time due to preoccupation with management of the AED and delivering shocks. Revamping of the protocol now places emphasis on quality CPR for two full minutes between each shock and delivering only one shock at a time. The ALS protocols have also been changed to reflect this new philosophy. With the change, outcomes should rapidly climb back to their previous level of success.





GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OPERATIONS TRAINING EMERGENCY MEDICAL EXPLORERS
	Photo By: Hawk Jones	EMS Division The overwhelming bulk of our emergency reponses continues to be EMS alarms. King County EMS changed AED protocols to reemphasize the importance of CPR rather than defibrillation. Patient outcome is measured by the number of patients released from the hospital post cardiac arrest. Through statistical analysis, it became apparent that King County’s outstanding survival rate was slipping. Research demonstrated the culprit to be loss of CPR time due to preoccupation with management of the AED and delivering shocks. Revamping of the protocol now places emphasis on quality CPR for two full minutes between each shock and delivering only one shock at a time. The ALS protocols have also been changed to reflect this new philosophy. With the change, outcomes should rapidly climb back to their previous level of success.	CONTACT Phone: (206) 463-2405 FAX: (206) 463-2954 Email: admin@vifr.org Physical Address 10020 SW Bank Road Vashon, WA 98070 Mailing Address PO Box 1150 Vashon, WA 98070