VICTORIA. — When someone is critically injured or seriously unwell, every minute matters. And thanks to the generosity of Ambulance Victoria supporters, Victorian paramedics now have another powerful tool to help save lives.
Almost $47,000 in community donations has funded seven state-of-the-art portable blood chemistry analysers, bringing laboratory-quality testing directly to patients, even in some of Victoria’s most remote locations.
These handheld devices allow highly skilled Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) flight paramedics to perform critical blood tests using just a few drops of blood, delivering results in as little as one to three minutes.
Previously, many of these tests could only be performed once a patient arrived at hospital, potentially taking one or two hours to obtain results.
Now, paramedics can access crucial information at the patient’s side, helping them make faster, more informed decisions about treatment.
“Having such objective clinical information when treating time-critical patients is a huge advantage at Air Ambulance Victoria and assists us greatly in delivering life-saving clinical interventions,” Ambulance Victoria Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Senior Team Manager Andy McKenzie said.
The analysers can help assess patients experiencing severe trauma, breathing difficulties and life-threatening circulatory emergencies. They provide important information about blood loss, oxygen levels and how a patient is responding to treatment.
For someone seriously injured in a remote part of Victoria, this technology can make an enormous difference.
Rather than waiting until they reach hospital, paramedics can use the results alongside their clinical assessments to identify potentially life-threatening conditions, guide treatment and share vital information with the receiving hospital before the patient arrives.
The seven devices are now available across Air Ambulance Victoria’s five helicopters, its MICA fixed-wing plane and a road ambulance used by MICA flight paramedics.
This means advanced diagnostic technology can travel with paramedics wherever they’re needed, from regional communities to some of the state’s most difficult-to-reach locations.
The new equipment replaces older blood gas analysis devices and expands access to contemporary testing technology across Air Ambulance Victoria.
