BELLVILLE – New equipment purchased for the Republic County Hospital main trauma room is improving response times for patients with heart problems.

The Zoll X monitor/defibrillator, partially purchased through grant funds, replaced three separate monitors to streamline treatment and diagnosis in high stress situations for critically ill patients. The machine keeps records of medications administered, vital signs and CPR – alerting medical personnel if chest compressions are inadequate.

Use of the machine improves outcomes of community members suffering from chest pain or heart attacks by diagnosing them more quickly, so  they can be transferred to a larger facility that does interventions such as heart catheterizations or heart bypass surgery.