PCH receives critical COVID-19 ER equipment

Phillips County Hospital (PCH) Interim CEO Larry Putnam reported the hospital received a LUCAS mechanical chest compression device last week at no cost from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and Billings Clinic last week.

The Helmsley Charitable Trust distributed 367 LUCAS mechanical CPR devices costing $4,711,481 to small, rural hospitals in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Nebraska. 40 were distributed in Montana and northern Wyoming with 26 sent to Critical Access Hospitals, including PCH, by the Billings Clinic. PCH received one donated LUCAS device that cost $12,135. "The hospital really appreciates getting it at no cost. Didn't come out of our operating budget. Sincere thanks to The Helmsley Trust and Billings Clinic," said Putnam. He noted The Helmsley Trust also granted $500,000 to the hospital in 2018 to help replace its outdated Computer Tomography (CT) scanner.

Phillips County Hospital Family Nurse Practitioner Theresa Ohl said, "Having the LUCAS device in the ER is critical. It saves lives."

LUCAS devices play an important role in the treatment of COVID-19 and cardiac patients. Research has shown cardiac damage in as many as 1 in 5 COVID-19 patients, leading to heart failure and death even among those who show no signs of respiratory distress. Among patients who recover, many could have long-term effects from heart damage.

The rise in cardiac complications caused by COVID-19 exposes both patients and healthcare workers to greater risk, as hands-on CPR can be needed for extended periods and personal protective equipment can become less effective in keeping the virus from spreading to medical providers.

The Helmsley Trust wanted to make sure small rural hospitals in the 5 states had LUCAS devices in place before a possible surge in COVID-19 cases. The devices will remain in the ER after the pandemic as part of the hospitals' cardiac system of care.

"These devices are vital because we don't want frontline healthcare workers to choose between trying to save a patient or risk exposure to themselves and others to the Coronavirus," said Walter Panzirer, a trustee for the Helmsley Charitable Trust. "LUCAS has been a proven, effective tool in saving lives during cardiac arrest, and having more of them available during this pandemic will save even more lives, including those of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers."