Learning to save lives

Learning to save lives
Barnesville Hospital staff members train with new and improved devices

WVU Medicine Barnesville Hospital staff members have new tools to teach them improved techniques for saving lives, thanks to a local charitable foundation.

Employees will learn how to do cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on mannequins that give feedback, proactive how to insert an intraosseous device into the bone and study to use a new “Stop the Bleed” device.

The Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley awarded Barnesville Hospital Association’s Training Center $5,962 for emergency medical training equipment through the 2024 River Valley Health Fund. This new equipment is meant to provide training in Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support.

The hospital received adult and infant mannequins that provide feedback by lighting up to show if the person practicing is performing CPR correctly, a “Stop the Bleed” device that trains people on how to use tourniquets, two new automated external defibrillator trainers and an intraosseous device training kit that allows fluids and medications to flow into the bones.

Nursing House Supervisor Sierra Yoho, life support instructor, and Emergency Department Manager Jamie Butts have been training staff in the ACLS, BLS and PALS programs, including nurses and others in the system.

Yoho described the mannequins as having two green dots that indicate the person is performing high quality CPR and clicking sounds and yellow and red dots to show the person is not performing high quality CPR. Yoho said this helps students and instructors to know if someone will be able to perform CPR on a real person appropriately. The mannequins also have bags on the mouth, so the person can actually see the chest rise and fall when doing airway support, which is a great improvement as well according to Yoho, because it’s important for the staff to know how far to inflate a patient’s lungs.

The AED trainers help Yoho introduce the use of an AED in the hospital. She said the staff isn’t used to using them because they’re used to using a manual monitor, so it helps them learn they have to slow down and go with what the AED says.

The intraosseous device is for the ACLS and PALS classes and shows students how to properly create bone access for fluids and medications in emergency situations where they would need to insert the device. Yoho said the ID is important for Advanced Cardiac Life Support certified nurses to use, because they won’t have to wait for a doctor in an emergency situation.

The “Stop the Bleed” kit is new to the training center as well, and it teaches people how to use tourniquets when treating wounds. It’s important to know how to use a tourniquet to stop hemorrhaging, which is lethal if not brought under control, Yoho said, citing an accident with a broken leg with an open fracture as a situation where that might be necessary. Yoho can teach staff how to apply the device correctly as well as packing and dressing wounds and keeping the extremity clean, so the person is less likely to get an infection.

Barnesville Hospital previously had older equipment that did not provide feedback. The new equipment helps the hospital align with American Heart Association guidelines, which requires all classes to be taught with feedback devices.

Barnesville Hospital plans to do community outreach with high schools with the new equipment, so area residents will know how to help in life-saving situations. Yoho said the “Stop the Bleed” kit is a great investment because the hospital will be able to show the public and local schools how to use it.

“The feedback devices are greatly improving our CPR skills,” she said.

Yoho thought it was fantastic when she heard the news that the hospital would be receiving the River Valley Health Fund award because the hospital’s training equipment wasn’t up-to-date anymore. She said the old equipment allowed her to watch people go through the motions, but with the new devices, she can see if they’re performing everything appropriately.

“I can do multiple people at one time as far as signing them off on their performances,” Yoho said. “It’s just fantastic to be able to get updated equipment and be modern with everything. … I just really want to thank the people that were able to get us this grant, and it’s vastly improved our education.”