Mt. Pleasant, TX— April 22, 2022 — In case of an emergency, when every second counts, you want the team responding to you or your loved one to be supported with the right equipment and technologies to potentially save your life!  Titus Regional Medical Center has announced recent investments in the Titus Regional Emergency Medical Service (EMS) team that will significantly impact patient care in OUR community.

In order to offer the best care possible, Titus Regional Medical Center (TRMC) has recently invested approximately $500,000 in our EMS program by adding two new ambulances, the Pulsara technology, and “Lucas” devices for the entire ambulance fleet and for the Emergency Department.  This investment will save lives in our community and help the team care for patients faster and more efficiently.

New Ambulances

The new ambulances will begin service in the community during April and will offer several upgrades over our previous models.  They are equipped with an automatic loading system that provides a safer way to load patients, reducing risk of injury to both patient and team members.  They each have a generator that will power the patient care module, including a residential grade HVAC unit to provide temperature regulation and a UV light sanitation system to clean the air and reduce infection risks.  The patient care area of these new units is also larger, allowing for the EMS Team to access the patient from three sides during transport.

Pulsara Technology

The Pulsara Technology will provide access to patient information during transport to the other team members at TRMC.  Doctors, nurses, and clinical support team will now have the ability to communicate directly with the EMS team prior to arrival at the hospital.  This will be facilitated with cell phones, tablets, or computers through a secure connection and will include audio, visual and live video communication.  “The one thing we are always fighting in an emergency is time.” States EMS Chief, Jimmy Methe.  “Time is everything in a medical emergency.  It’s the one thing that can’t be repaired or replaced.  The use of this technology doesn’t just save seconds, but minutes and that’s time that some patients do not have to spare.”  In the care of stroke and heart attack patients, this time will be significant and allow the team at the hospital to be ready when they arrive.  Initial diagnostic results and instructions can be shared between the teams before the patients even arrive so that the patient moves immediately to treatment.  Already, times for arrival to balloon placement in the Heart Catherization Lab have decreased between 10 to 15 minutes from previous times.

Lucas Devices

Adding Lucas Devices to the EMS team and Emergency Department is a final piece to the investment in Emergency Care.  These devices perform perfect chest compressions when CPR is needed.  The compressions are the perfect rhythm, speed, and depth and can continue for up to 45 minutes on a single battery.  Having a Lucas Device available increases the chance of getting the heart restarted successfully during a cardiac arrest and have already significantly increased the success rate in the TRMC facility during these situations.  When used in the field, it frees up an EMS team member who would normally be performing chest compressions to focus on the cause of the cardiac arrest instead of simply reacting to the current symptoms.

Each of these investments align with TRMC’s mission of creating Healthier Tomorrows.  “TRMC is blessed to have such great physicians and team members serving OUR community.” Shared Terry Scoggin, TRMC Chief Executive Officer.  “These investments in emergency care equipment will give our team the resources they need to save lives and perform at the highest level for safety and quality of care.  This is an exciting time for TRMC.”