The new ventilator will soon make the rounds with the Botetourt County EMS.
Photo by Matt de Simone
By Matt de Simone
Contributing writer
The Botetourt County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) recently invested in a device that could literally add a much-needed breath of fresh air to those in need. The area’s first automated ventilator will soon be available for local responders to utilize with patient care.
EMS Battalion Chief Camille Black explained that the days of attaching a bag valve mask are over if there’s a Zoll Z Vent ventilator nearby. She further explained, “If someone has had a traumatic incident or they’ve had a significant medical issue that’s affected the ability to breath effectively, we’ll put a tube in their trachea and typically use the bag valve squeezing it by hand to ventilate the patient. The [Z Vent ventilator] is a lot better for them because it has preset settings you can change to better the patient’s needs.”
Zoll designed the Z Vent ventilator to be simple to operate. The lightweight design makes the energy-efficient ventilator extremely mobile for EMTs. The Z Vent can be used for all types of EMS transport vehicles. Due to the fact that EMTs face hazardous situations, the Z Vent is built to military specs making this ventilator extremely durable. Zoll designed the Z Vent’s compressor to help save oxygen— conserving oxygen and energy in transit.
“It was really difficult to find [a ventilator] that suited a 911 system,” Black said, “There’s a lot of options out there. We used [Zoll’s] products in the past and we knew their quality was great so we decided to go that route.”
The ventilator will ride along with the EMS supervisor across the county once testing and training with the Z Vent concludes.
