To prevent the local emergency room from being overwhelmed with unwell athletes, Radiometer loaned a blood gas instrument, its related accessories and an associate to assist the Busselton Ironman competition in Western Australia.Radiometer agreed to help when the medical officer in charge of the Busselton Ironman and the local hospital medical doctor asked us to support their event. By installing a blood gas analyser at the triathlon, we wanted to prevent the local emergency department from being overwhelmed with unwell athletes. That’s how one of our blood gas instruments, the ABL90 FLEX PLUS and its related accessories joined the event for a busy day together with our account manager and registered nurse, Frans Buissink. Monitoring the electrolytes balance in the human body is important to ensure that it remains in homeostasis. Low Na levels can affect blood pressure as well as mental status which can lead to seizures and coma. Early detection of hyponatraemia is easily treatable with IV fluids such as NaCl and other fluid supplements. Having an ABL90 in the Ironman medical tent allowed the clinical team to rapidly diagnose and treat athletes, avoiding having to transport them to the local hospital emergency which would be quickly overwhelmed.“During the day we treated 90 athletes primarily suffering from heat and physical exhaustion. In my opinion, we would have sent 70 of those to the local small emergency department, had it not been for the Radiometer equipment on site,” Frans BuissinkTwo patients stand out: The first one was an 18-year-old male. He came in with extreme exhaustion and muscle cramping resulting in loss of consciousness, and body temperatures from 34.5’c to 40.8’c with associated febrile convulsions. The second one was a 65-year-old male taking part in his 20’th ironman. His symptoms were dehydration and vomiting (3kg body weight loss).The busy day of the medical team was a reminder that our customers face constant change and challenging situations. They never know what to expect when they start work each day caring for critically ill patients. A great example of how pathology positively impacts the lives of patients and the support we offer our local communities.
