Wuhan's Vulcan Mountain Hospital was built in just 10 days, once again setting China's speed. The first 50 patients were welcomed on Feb. 4, and more transfers will continue over the next few days. A special ambulance is being used to transfer the patients, so how exactly does it avoid cross infection and how do the paramedics transport them?
What does a negative pressure ambulance for patient transfer look like?
We all know that the new coronavirus carries the risk of human-to-human transmission, so we need a better-protected ambulance to transport patients. Negative-pressure ambulances first appeared in the public eye in 2009 during the defense against the H1N1 flu. Simply put, a negative-pressure ambulance is an ambulance with a separate medical chamber inside, called a negative-pressure chamber.
The air pressure inside the vehicle will be less than that outside, so air can flow from the outside to the inside. The negative-pressure device creates a fixed area of air circulation, and the air flows inside the vehicle from top to bottom, ensuring that the healthcare workers get fresh air before the patient's exhaled air is filtered and absorbed. The filter is usually located at the patient's head position to ensure that dirty air is recycled first, the system can kill almost all germs, and then finally the clean air is discharged out of the vehicle.
At the same time, the car can also be installed in the stretcher based on the optional isolation chamber, is also independent of the negative pressure equipment, this isolation chamber fan using lithium battery power supply, can be used for more than 5 hours of continuous use, for the medical staff to add another security.
Often, the ambulance will also be equipped with a stretcher, fixed neck brace and splints, ventilators, cardiac monitors, blood pressure monitors, thermometers, oximeters, glucose meters, first aid kits, defibrillators, simple resuscitation surgical appliances, communication equipment, but also a lot of essential first aid medicines.
Overtime production of negative pressure ambulance, these dedication to the love of the enterprise is not simple
General negative pressure car needs to be produced and modified two steps, the production refers to the production of conventional vehicles, modification is specifically for the ambulance modification. Usually a negative pressure ambulance needs about a month of work, and now compressed time in about 10 days to produce out, in fact, the task is very arduous, the factory will be 24 hours non-stop operation, so dedication to the love of the enterprise is also very uncomplicated. Especially during the Spring Festival, workers also have to work overtime labor.
Just in the past two days, with the delivery of the Vulcan Mountain Hospital, a large batch of freshly produced negative pressure ambulances are also on their way. Enterprises producing negative pressure ambulances include BAIC Foton, SAIC Datsun, Jiangling Ford, Fujian Benz, Brilliance Jinbei, Chery Ruifu, Yutong and others.
Beijing FAW Foton produced 40 Tuyano negative-pressure ambulances, which are expected to be sent to Hubei, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Henan, Hunan and Beijing, where the epidemic is the most serious, on Feb. 8. On Feb. 5, 30 negative-pressure ambulances from SAIC Datsun have been sent to the Vulcan Mountain Hospital, and 25 more ambulances are expected to arrive on Feb. 6, according to the company. The 18 negative pressure ambulances of Jiangling Ford Transit (10 complimentary, 500,000 yuan per ambulance) left for Wuhan on February 3rd.
Fujian Benz coordinated 20 Vito vehicles for negative pressure ambulance conversion. Brilliance Jinbei, on the other hand, completed 10-15 units of negative pressure ambulances on February 5 and 30 units by February 15***. Chery Ruifu Special Vehicle Company produced 20 units of negative pressure ambulances in the afternoon of February 5, the official shipment. Yutong also officially delivered 10 donated negative pressure ambulances on February 5th.
What is the process of negative pressure ambulance transportation?
Transporting patients with new crowns is a complex process, with initial disinfection of personnel and vehicles after each delivery to the receiving hospital, and final disinfection and ultraviolet disinfection after returning to the emergency center. From the paramedics to put on the equipment, to transfer the patient, and then disinfection, the whole process is longer than the normal transport of patients, more than 3 hours is common. And with protective clothing on, normal urination and defecation is not possible.
Usually, the provincial and municipal health commissions first send instructions to the medical rescue center, after which the medical rescue center will then arrange for the transfer of emergency station crews. After receiving the instruction, the dispatcher will know the basic condition of the patient, the transportation location and confirm the level of protection in order to inform the medical staff to wear different protective clothing. For example, the second level of protection is to wear gloves, goggles, DuPont suits, footwear, and in the case of critical patients, a full-face type protective mask.
Before departure, all crews also have to carry out relevant checks, and after arriving at the scene, the ambulance will arrive at the nearest place where the patient is waiting to minimize the patient's excessive contact with the outside environment. In the process of running, they not only have to guard the patient, do a good job of medical observation, but also always pacify the patient.
The staff of the first aid station, all of whom volunteered to take part in the transfer of the new crown pneumonia, such as the drivers of the ambulance, many of whom were recruited by the community, are courageous and caring people.
Currently China has the world's most advanced medical equipment, in addition to a more professional medical team, there are more selfless caring people, everyone is united, are cheering for Wuhan, Hubei, I believe it will not take long, we will win the battle. In the meantime, all the healthcare professionals, and those involved in this battle without smoke, deserve our respect. (Article image from the network)
Author: Qin Chao
This article comes from the author of the automobile home car family number, does not represent the views of the automobile home position.