GASTONIA, N.C. -- Gaston County EMS received a donation of 130 state-of-the-art resuscitation kits to help its paramedics better treat children during medical emergencies.
The Handtevy Pediatric Bags will help eliminate some of the unique challenges presented with pediatric patients. Gaston County paramedic Travis Adams said one of the challenges is the inherent stress of treating a child.
"It's automatically going to get your heart rate up," Adams said. "This is something incredibly stressful for anybody taking care of somebody who has a critically ill child."
Adams said pediatric emergencies don't happen often, but when they do, paramedics have to make complex mathematical calculations on the fly to make sure they're selecting the proper equipment and giving the right drug dosages.
"Anytime we're doing math, there's room for error," Adams said.
The Handtevy Pediatric Bags will do the math for the paramedics and provide them medical supplies designed specifically for children.
"The more resources we can give our paramedics to help them do their job quicker and safer is really our goal with this system," Adams said.
About 160 paramedics are undergoing training to use the kits, which are scheduled to be fully implemented in May.