Code Blue
To anyone outside the hospital, the replacement of crash carts at Langley Memorial Hospital might not seem like a major improvement.
But for Clinical Nurse Educator Kiran Parmar and her medical colleagues at Langley Memorial who respond to patient emergencies, the 11 new crash carts - wheeled carts equipped with all the necessary tools for a code blue - have made a tremendous difference in the way they respond to distress calls.
Caregivers at Langley Memorial Hospital (LMH) may need to respond to a code blue - an emergency when cardiac or respiratory arrest requires immediate intervention - at any time, day or night. LMH cardiologist Dr. Zuheir Abrahams says these emergencies, which include sudden heart attacks or breathing difficulties, occur between 20 and 30 times a month.
In 2023, TB Vets, a fundraising partner with Langley Community Health & Hospital Foundation (LCHHF), launched a campaign to replace the hospital’s aging crash carts. Donors were drawn to TB Vets’ promise to match every dollar contributed to LCHHF’s Areas of Greatest Need Fund, The response from the community was overwhelming, and the campaign’s proceeds enabled the Foundation to purchase 11 new crash carts, now stationed at various locations around the hospital.
Prior to 2023, staff were often frustrated by the old equipment. The older crash carts were not designed to hold essential tools securely.
“The old carts were bulky, and the equipment on top and on the sides couldn’t be secured well. When we pushed them, we were nervous that a sharps [needle] container could fall to the floor,” recalls Parmar. She even remembers an incident where a staff member was pushing an old crash cart, and one of the wheels fell off.
The new carts are an exact match to the standard design used in all Fraser Health hospitals, which is beneficial when casual staff are placed at Langley Memorial from other regions. This familiarity saves critical seconds in an emergency.
Kandys Merola, President and CEO of TB Vets, expressed her delight at the compassionate response to the Crash Carts matching campaign. “I am incredibly proud of TB Vets’ generous donors who, alongside Langley Memorial Hospital’s supporters, contributed so generously that we were able to help purchase an impressive 11 crash carts for emergency care.”