An EMS fluid warmer is a portable IV warmer that is included in the kits of paramedic supplies. Designed for administrating blood transfusions, hydrating transfusions, and medicinal transfusions in non-clinical settings, the devices have been life saving for countless injury victims. Nevertheless, the design of some models makes them better suited for emergency use than other models. IV warmers have several technological aspects that affect their performance. One the most important is measuring the IV liquid's temperature. Below is a comparison of the types of temperature measuring that portable IV warmers use.
Measuring the temperature of heating plates
Heating plates are an effective way to heat IV liquid, but the temperature of the plates is not always the same as the temperature of the liquid. When the plates first register a temperature that is within the range of normal body temperature (95°F - 100°F), there is no guarantee that the IV solution has reached the same temperature. If paramedics administer the solution based on the temperature of the plates, they cause the patient to experience hypothermia, which may lead to cardiac arrest or lowered immune system function. The temperature of the liquid eventually reaches the temperature of the plates - a process that often takes over three minutes - but there is no way to tell precisely when this occurs.
Measuring the temperature of circulating water
Some sellers of paramedic supplies sell IV warmers that measure the temperature of circulating water that heats the IV liquid. Heating the liquid with circulating water is an effective strategy; however, as with the temperature of heating plates, the temperature of the circulating water does not always indicate the temperature of the IV liquid. An EMS fluid warmer that measures the temperature of the circulating water should not be trusted to prevent IV induced hypothermia.
Directly measuring the temperature of the liquid
Regardless of the heating mechanism it uses, the best way for an IV warmer to measure the temperature of IV liquid is to measure it directly, preferably by placing a temperature in the fluid path. When the temperature of the liquid is measured directly, the chance of paramedics mistakenly administering cold infusions is eliminated. Considering the negative impact that cold infusions have on the health of patients before and after they arrive in the hospital, EMS services should only use IV warmers that directly measure the temperature of the IV liquid.
Conclusion
An EMS fluid warmer is one of the most important devices that paramedics carry in their IV kit. When IV liquid is administered cold, it causes a drop in body temperature that leads to hypothermia - a condition that predisposes the patient to cardiac arrest and lowers the function of the immune system. To prevent hypothermia, an IV warmer must use an accurate method of temperature measurement. The most accurate method is directly measuring the temperature of the liquid by placing a sensor in the fluid path. For more information about the benefits of portable IV warmers, contact a seller of paramedic supplies today.