Paramedics are now using CPAP

The following excerpt appeared in the Riverside Press-Enterprise. CPAP devices which is normally used to treat sleep apnea are now being used by Riverside County paramedics with a mixture of patients that are having difficulty breathing.

Since April, all paramedics in Riverside County have been using continuous positive airway pressure devices, known as CPAP, on patients who have signs of congestive heart failure. The condition can cause patients' lungs to become congested with fluid, making it difficult for them to breathe.


The CPAP device being used in Riverside County consists of a mask that straps snugly to the patient's face, creating a seal around the mouth and nose, attached to an oxygen tank that pushes air into the patient's lungs.


These types of devices originally were used to help people with sleep apnea, Riverside County Fire Department officials said. The condition involves pauses in breathing while a person sleeps.


Now, CPAP is used in hospital intensive care units and emergency departments, in addition to its use by paramedics, they said.


Battalion Chief Phil Rawlings said the devices his department is using cost about $60 apiece and must be replaced after each use. Outfitting all 96 stations -- including initial startup expenses -- cost about $39,000, Rawlings said.


From April through early July, Rawlings said, paramedics from his department used the devices on 48 patients. All benefited from the procedure, some dramatically, Rawlings said.


"We're really, really pleased with it," he said.


The new equipment was mandated for all Riverside County paramedics by the Riverside County EMS Agency, which designs, implements and oversees the county's emergency medical services system, Director Bruce Barton said.


Elsewhere, CPAP has gained widespread use among paramedics in the past three years, he said.