Alcor at Work Photo Gallery:
Field Equipment
Other photo gallery pages: Procedures
| Facility Equipment
See also: Video Tour of Alcor Facility
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| THOMAS PACK: Alcor's standby/ transport teams are equipped with
medications for immediate use on patients after cardiac arrest. These meds
serve several purposes, including prevention of blood clots and inhibition
of ischemic injury (the cellular damage which occurs during absent or inadequate
blood circulation). Team members transport a full range of medications in
a padded backpack of a type that is standard issue for paramedics nationwide. |
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| PACK MODULES: The backpack opens to reveal padded, color-coded
modules which can be removed rapidly in an emergency. |
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| ANCILLARY SUPPLIES: The backpack also has side compartments for
medical equipment such as nitrile gloves and face masks. A separate insulated
meds pack (the yellow module in the background) fits in the center of the
backpack. |
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| INJECTABLE MEDICATIONS: The yellow insulated meds module opens
to reveal injectable medications which are kept refrigerated prior to deployment. |
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| HEPARIN: While some of Alcor's transport medications were specially
formulated to inhibit ischemic injury, other meds are standard pharmaceutical
items. First and most important is heparin, a powerful anticoagulant. Preventing
blood clots is a vital first step, since the circulatory system must remain
unobstructed for additional medications and subsequent cryoprotective perfusion. |
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| LUCAS: In 2002 Alcor acquired this state-of-the-art LUCAS
cardiopulmonary support device direct from its manufacturer in Sweden. It
is shown here with a resuscitation-practice manikin in a portable ice bath.
The LUCAS can be powered by compressed air, oxygen, nitrogen, or carbon
dioxide gas. It applies chest compressions to circulate the blood and maintain
respiration. |
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| CARDIOPUMP: If circumstances prevent us from using the LUCAS, an
Ambu
CardioPump is a handheld backup device. The CardioPump is widely used
in Europe but has not received FDA certification in the United States, even
though its suction cup greatly increases the effectiveness of traditional
CPR by enabling the user to pull up as well as push down. Fortunately, regulations
permit Alcor to apply the imported CardioPump to patients after legal death
has been pronounced. |
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| PULSE OXIMETER: A pulse oximeter of this type fits over the patient's
finger and indicates pulse rate and oxygen saturation of the blood. While
Alcor cannot and does not intervene medically with living patients, in situations
such as a home hospice we may offer patients the option of using a pulse
oximeter themselves, since it does not pierce or break the skin and requires
virtually no training. A steady decline in oxygen saturation often provides
advance warning of cardiac arrest. After cardiac arrest, a pulse oximeter
measures the effectiveness of cardiopulmonary support by continuing to measure
blood oxygen levels. During good mechanical CPR, a pulse oximeter will actually
acquire a pulse (concurrent with mechanical strokes) even though the heart
remains stopped. |
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AIR-TRANSPORTABLE PERFUSION KIT (ATP): The Air-Transportable Perfusion
kit (ATP) contains a pump and heat exchanger which can be deployed in the
field to wash out the patient's circulatory system, substituting blood with
a transport solution which cools the patient internally and provides metabolic
support during transport to Alcor's facility. The transport solution, developed
in the 1980s, was tested and proven in groundbreaking
research involving the resuscitation of animals after more than four
hours of bloodless hypothermia. Alcor helped to sponsor this research effort,
which was led by Jerry Leaf and Michael Darwin of Cryovita Laboratories.
The ATP case opens to reveal the pump (cylindrical object at right) and
its electronic speed controller (gray box at left). In the lid of the case
is a blue sterile pack containing tubing, heat exchanger, filter, and other
components. |
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| ATP: When the sterile pack is opened, it reveals a metal baseplate
on which the components are mounted. A second sterile pack (blue paper package
at right) contains the manifold-the tubing which is connected to the patient
after a femoral cutdown and cannulation. The baseplate fits back into the
lid of the ATP case. The controller is deployed wherever convenient. A separate
plastic reservoir (not shown here) is used to contain ice and a submersible
pump. This pump circulates icewater through the heat exchanger, which extracts
heat from the perfusate before it passes through the patient. |
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| ATP: The transport solution is air-shipped in a smaller, separate
case (shown at left of photo) which contains a 20-liter plastic bladder.
Using sterile technique, this is attached to the ATP immediately prior to
use. |
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| TUBING: When the manifold is unwrapped it reveals color-coded tubing
to which manometers (pressure gauges) and temperature sensors can be connected.
A battery-powered, handheld "DuaLogR" records temperatures automatically
at preprogrammed intervals, and travels with the patient to Alcor's operating
room. |
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| TRANSPORT CASES: The complete remote standby and transport kit
is packed into six large, rugged cases which can be checked as baggage on
regular scheduled airlines. |
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