Weslaco EMS & Knapp Medical Center Improve Communication with Pulsara

"We tell you, 'This is the injury that we’re seeing, [these are] the potential conditions,'" Weslaco Fire Chief and Emergency Manager Antonio Lopez said. "But what better way—to be able, through this software, through this platform, to take a picture of that injury?"

"Those factors let us properly triage the patient and prepare for them," said Dr. Sergio Molina, Emergency Department Medical Director of Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco. "So if we’re getting signs of respiratory distress, low oxygen, I can have respiratory ready."

Weslaco EMS and Knapp Medical Center began using the app a month ago, and they say it is already making a huge difference. 

According to Lopez, radio communication had many limitations. "We’re sharing more information; it’s not just thirty seconds of verbal," Lopez said. "Now, we can share actual EKG monitor information, we can share vital signs through [Pulsara]."

Dr. Molina says that for EMS crews, the Pulsara app is like having a doctor right at your fingertips. "The big thing is that it allows us to participate with patient care immediately. So if EMS has a question or a suggestion, or they want to show me an EKG, they can show it to me live and get live feedback from me.” 

Right now, only ER doctors and nurses at Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco have access to the app, but Lopez says the next phase will be to give specialists access too. 

See the full Channel 5 news coverage here. 

A new study published in the British Medical Journal found that the use of Pulsara led to shorter timelines in the care of patients with suspected stroke and STEMI. Check out the details here.