An EMT or emergency medical technician is competent to provide emergency medical services to those who are critically ill or injured. Various equipments come handy in emergency situations and are used by the EMTs. These are referred to as EMT equipment. These include defibrillators, infusion pumps, suctions, transport incubators, (portable) monitors and a host of such other medical equipment of great importance in emergency situations. At one time the emergency medical technicians were considered to be ambulance attendants.
However, the modern EMT has been ascribed many more tasks which are of immense importance. The EMTs have to respond to various types of emergency calls. Hence the EMTs are given training in practical emergency medical knowledge.
They are made to acquire skills and knowledge which can be deployed within a very short time. Hence the range of EMT equipment has also become far wider incorporating several sophisticated complex equipments. The list of all essential EMT equipment of the day is pretty long.
There are to be included portable suction equipment, big valve masks (for children, infants and adults), oropharyngeal or nasopharygeal airways of various sizes, oxygen kit with regulator, nasal cannulas, traction splint with the right accessories, cervical collars, large trauma dressings, sterile gauze pads etc., sterile burn sheet, splints for upper and lower extremity injuries, head immobilizers, rolls of tape of various measures, some necessary kits, a liter each of potable water and saline for irrigation. Triangular bandages, shears, penlight, blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, non-sterile gloves, Vaseline gloves, oral glucose, body temperature measuring devices (like thermometers) and PASG find place in the list too. Besides, paper and pen/pencil and large garbage plastic bags need to be also kept.
Among the range of portable monitors needed there are the anesthesia monitors, fetal monitors, ICU monitors, pulse oximeters, telemetry monitors, transport monitors and vital signs monitor. An EMT equipment bag i.e. a bag containing all the valuable life saving medical equipment or devices required by emergency medical technicians is also becoming available. This special bag enables the EMT personnel to carry the necessary equipment associated with their profession as also the things of everyday use like books, paperwork, cell phone, tools, pocket knifes, iPod, wallet etc. The EMT equipment comes of great use in military and rescue operations.
The EMTs attending medical emergencies, hazardous materials exposure, fires, injuries, trauma and even psychiatric crises use such equipment for carrying out their operatons. These life-saving equipments are just indispensable for the work of emergency medical technicians and emergency medical service providers.
Thomas MacIntosh writes about on EMT equipment- range of equipments for use of EMTs to visit :- emt equipment