The CoPilot VL®
It has finally arrived. The next generation of video intubation tools is here, and I got my hands on one of the first.
So were do I get the CoPilot VL®?
| Learn more about the CoPilot VL for EMS at Medsouth1.com |
 |
Archive for the ‘EMS Stuff Reviewed’ Category
Review of the CoPilot VL – 2nd generation video laryngoscope
Monday, February 11th, 2013
The CoPilot VL®
It has finally arrived. The next generation of video intubation tools is here, and I got my hands on one of the first.
1st generation video scopes
Five years ago the EMS world was introduced to the GlideScope. This mythological end all tool was only whispered about by most EMS providers due to the 15K price tag. What the GlideScope did was simply put a video camera on a laryngoscope and a separate view screen . The idea here was that in a difficult airway situation were getting a direct view of the anatomy was difficult or near impossible we had a camera to guide us. This was quite revolutionary and everyone wanted one.
Next came the competition. Some versions were a simple redesign at a lower price while others made modifications such as including the view screen on the handle of the scope. These first generation video scopes all have one thing in common, the actual process of intubating was the same as before.
- There are inherent problems with this procedure that until now had to be accepted.
- Manipulation of airway anatomy causing trauma and increased vagal tone
- Manipulation of c-spine
- Abnormal anatomy making even video scoping problematic.
Next up, the CoPilot VL® (video laryngoscope)
the first and only generation 2 video laryngoscope.
Out of the Box
The screen is about the size of an iPhone 4 (3.5 inches) and is encased in a shock absorbing plastic, much like a Otter Box. The entire unit seems very durable. The handle blade setup is designed for disposable blades. You slide on a blade, snap it back into place and the video screen turns on. There is a light at the bottom of the screen signaling battery life (green, yellow, red). Another look at the blades and you will see the general shape is different. The CoPilot VL® blades have a Bougie Port added on. The idea here is to slide the Bougie down through this port guided straight into view prior to passing into the cords. The CoPilot VL® also comes with there own Bougies. These are smaller and a little more pliable than the standard purple Bougie.
For you old school medics who don’t buy into that new age Bougie stuff this unit comes with a next generation rigid stylet. This thing is freaking cool. The stylet is metal with a round tip on the distal end and a t-handle on the other. When intubating place your thumb on the underside of the t-handle. When you get to the cords and find your ETT is a little to low just slide your thumb up pulling the stylet out and the tip of the ETT curves up and into position. My companies QA will not like this much, they are all “Bougie every time”, but this is just to cool not to play with.
After you are finished intubating there is a button on the handle of the scope that releases the blade into the bio bag. Grab slide another blade on and you are ready to go. No cleaning of this equipment unless it was a truly messed up call. So I guess there is no need for all those autoclaves in our stations, LOL.
The other accessories include a power cord, IV pole clamp, and a handy bag. The unit will run for 2 hours before you need to plug it in. You could intubate every patient in a shift before you need to recharge. The IV clamp will probably end up in the EMS junk drawer. This was intended for hospital use.
So why is this a 2nd generation?
The CoPilot VL® was not a redesign of previous units but a redesign of the intubation process addressing the known issues.
The curvature of the blade on the CoPilot VL® is set perfectly. You simply drop the blade and you are looking right up at the cords. Slide your Bougie down the port, click click click and your in. It really is that simple.
No matter how revolutionary and cool a new tool is there is one main factor that will be a deal breaker and that is price. Most of us working the ambulance have never seen a GlideScope in real life due to the $15,000 price tag. However the CoPilot VL® is nicely priced at $2999.00. The disposable blades will run you $10.00 each.
No need to remove a C-Collar / no more manipulating anatomy
Pros
Cons
Does it make the manifest?
Absolutely. This company carries the slogan “First time, every time”. I do believe it. You really have to use it only once to see just how easy it makes intubation. Even an EMT-Basic can do it. (LOL just kidding guys)
First time, every time
So were do I get the CoPilot VL®?
| Learn more about the CoPilot VL for EMS at Medsouth1.com |
|
Review of Google Drive for EMS
Thursday, May 24th, 2012
Google Drive has much to offer you and your EMS organization. It is simply a perfect way to organize and publish documents and information while making it instantly available to all the ground crews.
How it works
- Setup is easy
- Get yourself a gmail account
- Login and find the Drive tab at the top
- Find the ‘download google drive’ link on the left. This will install Drive on your PC
- The Drive folder created on your desktop is just a folder, but anything you put in the folder will be uploaded and synced to your drive account
- Now you are ready start sharing
- Create a folder to share with others inside your drive folder
- Move the files you want to share to the new folder
- Login to Gmail and again select the Drive tab
- Notice the files are already there.
- Right click a folder or file and select share
- 3 options for sharing the folder
- Make totally public to the web
- Only people with a link
- Only people I allow to view. You can then enter the email address for each person you would like to allow to view.
Be sure to get the phone app for quick access to your documents and shared documents
Benefit to your company
Google drive allows you share anything with all of your employees. Things you might include to share with your EMS organization include a copy of the protocols, power point of the last 12 Lead class, video of that class, or ever the current shift schedule. All of these documents will instantly be synced with your ground crews and available to them on their phones or personal computers. What makes this different from Drop Box is that Google Drive has document editing abilities much like the Microsoft office suite. You can edit text documents and spreadsheets. Go green and save some cash by publishing your services documents to Google Drive rather than Kinko’s.
One of the best things about Google Drive is that the first 5gb of storage space is FREE
Benefit to you
Google drive is simply awesome to have. Saving your documents in the cloud ensures that if you see the blue screen of death every time you start your laptop you don’t have to totally freak out because once you get a new one just install Google Drive and POOF, your files are synced and ready to go.
- Some of the things I use it for
- I keep a scanned copy of my cert cards so that I have them with me at all times, on my phone
- My primary Quicken file is stored here, just be sure not to share this folder
- All of my personal important documents such as tax info and insurance documents
- I keep and share class notes from EMS courses I have taken
- Soon anything of importance I keep on my PC will be stored here
One last note about Google Drive is the unique search feature it offers. After uploading multiple documents and images you would like to find the document talks about the upcoming EMS Expo, just type it in the search bar and Google will return all documents that mention EMS Expo anywhere in them, even PDF documents. Images will also be searched for text displayed in the image. Now that is a cool feature. You do have to enable this in the setting on the web page.
In Summary Google Drive is fantastic to have for your everyday file storage and access needs. I consider this a must have tool for any EMS organization.
Review of the Streamlight Stylus LED Penlight for EMS
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012
I came across a handy little product that I just had to add to my ems bag of toys.
It is the Streamlight Stylus LED Penlight.
The Pros
As you can tell its a flashlight and it works pretty good as a flashlight while onscene, not so much when trying to find an address. The width of this light is the same as an ink pen. The height is a little bit longer than a pen but still fits nicely in your shirt or cargo pocket. I was surprised when I was shown how this light makes the eyes look. What makes this light work great in EMS is the green LED (make sure to get the green and not the white). For what ever reason when the green light from the LED hits the eyes the iris appears dull and matted while the pupil really shines. You really can see the pupil clearly even from a distance.
Streamlight has a history of making quality flashlights. I have owned a few different ones and have always been happy with them. Streamlights are much brighter and last longer than most other lights. This particular light will set you back a good $15.00 but I would call that a pro as these lights were originally priced much higher.
The Cons
Since it the same size as a pen ask yourself if you have ever lost a really good ink pen that you were wanting to hang on to. If you have to stop at Wally World before each shift to purchase a pack of Bic pens then you will probably loose this little thing, although it does come with a clip for your pocket.
Does it make to the manifest?
The Streamlight Stylus LED Penlight definitly gets placed on the ambulance manifest. It combines the need for a flashlight and penlight as well as improves the results when examining the eyes. Now lets see how long I hang on to it.