Erlanger’s event medicine team includes trauma and orthopedic specialists, registered nurses, paramedics, and emergency physicians to provide medical support during IRONMAN
As a certified Basic Life Support provider and instructor, Erlanger’s President and CEO, Kevin M. Spiegel, FACHE, assists Dr. Jonathan Cohen with administering first aid to one of the IRONMAN athletes
For the first time at a national endurance event in the United States, Erlanger Health System made life saving technology, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), available for pre-hospital care to treat patients suffering from cardiac or pulmonary failure. Officials reported “fortunately none of the IRONMAN athletes required the life-saving procedure during this year’s event.” The Erlanger ECMO team is comprised of a cardiologist, two catheterization lab nurses, a respiratory therapist, a perfusionist, a LIFE FORCE nurse and a LIFE FORCE paramedic all of whom are expertly trained in the use of the ECMO technique.
For the first time at a national endurance event in the United States, Erlanger Health System made life saving technology, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), available for pre-hospital care to treat patients suffering from cardiac or pulmonary failure. Officials reported “fortunately none of the IRONMAN athletes required the life-saving procedure during this year’s event.” The Erlanger ECMO team is comprised of a cardiologist, two catheterization lab nurses, a respiratory therapist, a perfusionist, a LIFE FORCE nurse and a LIFE FORCE paramedic all of whom are expertly trained in the use of the ECMO technique.
A total of 133 patients were treated by Erlanger’s event medicine specialists at the IRONMAN. This was a sharp decline from last year’s 611 patients treated mostly for heat-related illness and less than 200 patients treated during the 2015 event. A majority of this year’s participants received medical assistance for soft tissue injuries, minor sprains and strains, nausea and vomiting, dehydration and respiratory illness.
Nineteen of the IRONMAN athletes from this year’s event were transported to Erlanger’s Baroness, Erlanger North and Erlanger East emergency departments for further treatment. Medical staff treated abdominal pain, joint and limb injuries, head and facial injuries, lacerations, dehydration, chest pain and respiratory illness.