The foundation of the Rotary Club of Edina recently awarded a grant of $3,000 to Edina Fire Department.
 
The Edina Fire Department used the grant to purchase an EleGARD, a device that is part of paramedics’ bundle to care to help increase positive outcomes after sudden cardiac arrest by decreasing intracranial pressure while increasing cerebral and coronary perfusion. This results in fewer neurological issues in survivors. With the Edina Rotary Foundation donation, the Edina Fire Department now has an EleGARD on each of its ambulances. Click READ MORE for additional details.
 
“The bundle of care is most effective if all the pieces are used in rapid conjunction with each other, and the EleGARD is a key contributor,” said Emergency Medical Services Chief Ryan Quinn. “After years of relatively stagnant resuscitation rates, we are beginning to see increases in neurologically intact survival rates – not just in Edina, but in other communities across the county that have begun to use this bundle of care. Having this device available on each of our first-arriving ambulances in conjunction with the rest of our tools allows up to provide the greatest possible change at surviving a sudden cardiac arrest.”
 
So far in 2021, the Edina Fire Department has responded to more than 30 cardiac arrests. Quinn said the vast majority of the resuscitations utilities the EleGARD in conjunction with the remaining bundle of care.The department’s overall discharged-from-the-hospital rate, according to the CARES Registry, is 25 percent. The national data for the same metric from CARES is just 6.9 percent.
 
Money for grants awarded by the Edina Rotary Foundation is raised at an annual fall fundraiser and gala and donations made throughout the year.