JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A new portable device will help Ballad Health patients receive fluids or blood faster, the healthcare company announced on Tuesday.
Ballad Health and the innovation center are partnering with Durham, North Carolina-based 410 Medical Inc. to use LifeFlow, a portable device that reduces the time needed to revive a patient in need of blood or fluids.
LifeFlow can rapidly deliver fluids to patients with crucial conditions like sepsis, shock, trauma, cardiac arrest and severe hemorrhage. The device can reportedly deliver one liter of fluid or two units of blood in less than four minutes, while traditional methods can take three to 10 times longer, according to Ballad Health.
Ballad and 410 Medical Inc. started the project by treating pediatric patients with LifeFlow at Niswonger Children’s Hospital.
Since then, the project has expanded the Johnson City Medical Center, Bristol Regional Medical Center, Holston Valley Medical Center and Indian Path Community Hospital, Ballad said in the release.
“Early and aggressive fluid therapy is critical when treating life-threatening illnesses, but traditional methods of infusion can be slow, cumbersome and complex to administer,” Dr. Morgan May, chief nursing officer for Ballad Health’s Southern Region said.
“The LifeFlow device is designed to overcome the challenges associated with normal infusers, and ultimately, it’s a valuable tool to help us improve the clinical quality of care we deliver to patients,” May said.
Ballad said the LifeFlow device is easier to set up and operate compared to traditional infusers and other fluid delivery devices.
LifeFlow has been shown to result in a decrease in the average length of stay for patients in the intensive care unit, the release said.
For more information on the LifeFlow device and its part in Ballad Health facilities, click here.
