The next time Goochland Fire and Rescue brings a patient to Henrico Doctors Hospital, emergency room staff will know what to expect.

That’s because Goochland is using 10 new Panasonic Toughbook laptop computers to send patient information to the hospital while the patient is en route, said Volunteer Captain Tom Ferris of Company 5.

Transmitting patient diagnostic information will make it easier for emergency room staff to prepare for patients before they arrive, said Ferris.

“We are the first in the Richmond metro area” to use the system, he added.

The old system involved cell phones, said Firefighter /EMT Chase Stirberg, project coordinator for the new method.

Stirberg went to Danville in December for a training session in this latest technology.

Ferris said Goochland’s Fire and Rescue and Henrico Doctors Hospital are the first in the region to establish this system under the new Virginia Pre-Hospital Information Bridge.

Money for the 10 new laptops, one for each Goochland ambulance, came from a $39,000 grant from the Office of Emergency Medical Services.

Now crews can transmit information such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, drugs administered and other patient history data before the patient even reaches the E.R.

“We’re always looking for technology to do the job better,” said Deputy Chief of EMS Eddie Ferguson.

All county EMS staff has been trained to use the new laptops.

“This has made a difference in cardiac care,” said Ferguson. It can help get a patient into the cardiac catherization lab quicker, he said.

Ferguson said Goochland has had a “door to balloon time” of as little as 23 minutes. That’s the time a patient enters the ER until a balloon was inserted in a coronary artery during catherization.

Goochland transports more patients to Henrico Doctors Hospital than to any other medical facility, said Ferguson.

“We try to choose the most appropriate facility,” said Ferguson although the patient’s choice of a hospital is also considered.

“The hope is that all hospitals statewide will embrace the system,” he said.

The new system also makes it easier for EMS personnel to retrieve patient histories at Henrico Doctors Hospital after the visit, said Ferguson.

Goochland County District 3 Supervisor Ned Creasey praised the department.

“I think it shows how much we are on the cutting edge out here. It’s one of the things that can be accomplished when everyone works together,” said Creasey.