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Just the other day I was standing in front of triage at St. Luke's when something caught my eye from the other side of the hallway. It was an green CRT screen showing A-Fib, looking up towards the top left of the screen I tried to find the digital numbers showing a pulse rate.... But there were no numbers.... No Pulse rate, Spo2, NIBP, or Co2 readout... Furthermore, that screen was very small, cell phone display small. I then looked at the crew that had brought the patient in. They were sloppy, unshaven and pushing a Ferno that looked like it had seen better days. Realizing this I naturally assumed that the equipment in question must be a Lifepak 10. I then looked to the right of the screen searching for the telltale black paddles to confirming my suspicions. But what was this ? Ivory colored paddles ? It was at that moment that I realized I was staring at a Lifepak 5 ! A Lifepak 5, in the year 2010 ? Yes it had to be a five, the orange colored Physio Control cover pretty much shouted that it was a five. In a few moment the relic was out of my sight as the poorly hygienic crew traveled down the hall with the blast from the past still steadily performing it job, like an iron built steam train traveling into the night and over the horizon into the awaiting dawn.

I know that it shouldn't be such a shock to see an obviously ill managed transfer company using old equipment, we see it everyday in this job, especially if you work in the Harris County area. After my initial shock of the fact that this company had a monitor this old in use, I had since of awe and admiration for this electronic device.

Lets talk about the Lifepak 5 for a minute. The Lifepak 5 was designed between 1974 and 1975, with the first production models reaching the streets around mid 1976. The original designs called for the entire unit, monitor, batteries, paddles and screen to be worn by the paramedic on a bright orange colored belt. (You know that would have been bad ass, it's okay to admit it !) However Seattle Medic 1 (The testbed R & D department) stated that this wouldn't work due to bulkiness of the system while trying to perform ALS skills on scene and in the cramp confines of the patient compartment. I for one can't say I blame them for that decision. Can you imagine trying to extricate someone from a very tight spot with a Batman belt on. I also don't want to imagine what it would be like to have one of those oops moments at 2 AM involving a pair of charged paddles that close to my "twins". To make a long story short Physio Control agreed and decided to change the design.

The biggest change that made the LP5 stand out from all the other defibulators at the time was the overall reduction in size and weight. At the time Physio Control's previous model, the LP4 weighed in at a 45 lbs and it's relative size was equivalent to a 13 in TV.

The Lifepak 4 circa 1974

When the Lifepak 5 came out it literally made all others before it obsolete. The LP5 weight in at a little over 18 lbs and was the size of a small turntable. It was epic....David had just kicked Goliaths ass after school !

You might be wondering why I've made such a big deal about this, why I've spent hours Reviewing a piece of equipment that went out of production 20 years ago ?
The answer is in the history of this simple device that we take for granted everyday. If a person calls 911 complaining of chest pain, they expect EMS to arrive and be able to bring them back to life like on TV. The general public knows that if they were to suddenly drop dead from a heart attack the paramedics would arrive and use the paddles, shout clear and zap them back to life.
Well we all know that things on TV aren't as they seem. We don't save everyone, CPR and cardiac drugs make a difference, the defibrillator being just a tool in a laundry list of things that make resuscitation of a patient possible. And there is always a look of disappointment on John Q Public's face when you tell him " We don't really use the paddles as much anymore".
The lifepak 5 marked a turning point for EMS, we no longer had to decide to bring the monitor or bring the bags based on weight. No longer did we have to deal with inadequate technology that may or may not work today. We could finally deliver excellent cardiac care and not just adequate cardiac care....All because of one simple piece of 1970's technology.
Here is some final words of thought on the matter. The Lifepak 5 was produced from 1976 to 1990, in that time it became the world best selling defibrillator and was in service in over 60 countries. To this day, anywhere on the globe you can probably find one, from a third world mission clinic to the back corner of a supply room in America. If you have a new battery from a Lifepak 12, you can pop it into the old five and it more than likely will work. That says a lot about the build quality of the five, considering that you can't even get an iPhone to work right after three months...In a way the Lifepak 5 was the start of a great number of diagnostic tools for us as EMS professionals to use in the field, everything from pulse oxes to portable ultra sounds can in someway trace back to this device.
Looking back and seeing that old faded and beaten monitor from the other night, I can't helpbut think how many lives it has saved and how many it will save from now until the little green screen refuses to light up again. It is sad knowing that just like all machines, one day all of the LP5's will eventually stop working. But I like to think that It will always have a special place our hearts as the little though monitor that could go to hell and back with a green smile on its face.

My review of the Lifepak 5 is 5 out of 5 stars.

There are a lot of cons on this one, like it doesn't run 12 lead, no NIBP, it has a small screen, blah, blah, blah !
However let me just remind all of you that may have forgotten one thing about the 5 that makes the 10, 12 and 15 look just plain boring..............The 5......Charges to.......400 !!!!!!!!!!!!

-Travis Cloud 11/09/201

Kershaw Knives.

Just the other day I was carving a Jack-O-Lantern with my four year old daughter. Being four years old meant her dad would do all the work and she would take credit for the project. I personally hadn't carved a pumpkin in over ten years or so, but I did remember that it was a tedious project guaranteed to make my hands ache and coat them in a slimly and nasty goo. The slime I could handle but I didn't look forward to the fatigue that was sure to follow as a result of using the cheep 99 cent carving knife. So like any true red blooded American male I went for the one thing that I never leave home without, my trusty pocket knife. Unlike a 1950's boy scout however I carry something a little more robust and in all honesty downright scarier looking than a pen knife. I pulled out my Kershaw Tanto Blur, a tool that I've possessed for the past year that has never let me down. I expected this tool to get the job done with relative ease and would still allow me to do some precise surgical like cutting. Well to make a long story short I made the first cuts of the eyes without any real resistance at all. Seeing the fun that I was having my wife secured the knife from me and proceeded to carve the mouth. Her response was similar to mine, a since of shock that this tool was going through this thick, orange skinned squash like a hot knife through a stick of margarine. After the carving was complete I simply did what I do every time I use this knife, I wiped in on my pant leg and put it back into my pocket, ready for the next project that I might need it for. The next time I know that my simple knife will not let me down, rather it be a pumpkin or some sort of work in the field I know that It will always function smoothly and be as reliable as a good old bird dog.

Lets start the review with the Kershaw company itself. Kershaw was founded in 1974, with one simple philosophy, to make a product that the customer would be proud to own and use. Let me tell you that hands down I've seen flashier and sometime more attractive looking knives, but never have I owned any knife that has stayed this sharp for so long. I purchaed my first Kershaw in 2003 while I was working at a Wal-Mart. My investment was a Kershaw Chive by Ken Onion (knife designer and former Marine). That little knife cut boxes every day for over a year with out dulling. My second Kershaw was the Blackout also by Onion, this knife served me very well in EMS until it was "lost" one day after I left it sitting at the station. Apparently some of my coworkers at that job had some sticky fingers. Which brings us to where I am today, with my Tanto Blur. The only reason I've ever replaced a Kersahw knife with another Kershaw is because the the previous ones were stolen. Kershaw has a lifetime warranty with all of their products. They will repair any manufacture defects for the life of the knife, but only if you're the original owner (ie you have the receipt still with you).

Kershaw knives are made in a 55,000 sq. ft. facility located in Oregon, that means that they're made in the USA. Made in America is something that will always win brownie points from me, because it means that my purchase is providing jobs for my fellow American. It also means that the quality of the workmanship is greater than other manufactures (i.e. Gerber or Smith & Wesson). Kai the parent company of Kershaw will even sharpen your knife back to original spec free of charge, you just pay for shipping.

But since I'm trailing off, lets get to the review of the Tanto Blur. Like many other Kershaws this knife is designed by Ken Onion. It. features a one handed assisted opening blade (think of it like a switch blade, just without the push button). The blade is made from a high grade stainless with a Tungsten DLC coating that will resist corrosion. The side note on the coating is that unlike many other blades that I've dealt with while living in the Gulf Coast of Texas, this blade just will not rust. In the time I've had this knife I've used it every day I'm on the ambulance and it refuses to let me damage it. I've scrapped it on concrete, exposed it to the salty & humid air, exposed it to direct flame only to place it in a near freezing environment. It cuts seat belts, blue jeans and if you're really out for a challenge it will cut through an 8 gauge electric wire as if it were a twig. I've used it as a screw driver and I've even opened an oxygen cylinder with the belt clip,yet it still refuses to show any weakness and it's still as sharp as the day I bought it. Come to think of it, all three Kershaws I've owned have never required sharpening even after years of abuse.

The handle is made of aerospace grade 6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy (this particular grade of alloy has a tensile strength of 42,000 psi.....Now thats not your granddaddy's jackknife cowboy !) the handle has inserts that are made of something Kershaw calls Trac-Tec, whatever they're called feels like rubber spay-in bed-liner. This is a welcome addition to the knife, especially when it's covered in water, mud, blood or in my recent case, pumpkin entrails. It has a 3 3/8" blade with a Tanto style tip, making stabbing into a semi-rigid object (i.e. drywall or rubber) easier than a prom date with 3/4 of a bottle of Bacardi in her system ;) the closed length is 4.5 inches with an overall open length of just over 7.8 inches. The entire knife weighs 4.2 ounces making it lightweight, yet it still feels like you've got a mini Ka-Bar in your hand when it's open.

Here is a picture of my knife after a year of abuse.

The cons that I've found to this knife are few and far between. For one thing it's very ergonomic, handle takes up most of your pocket in a pair of jeans, I tend to keep my keys in the opposing pocket. The pocket clip is VERY tight, I would not recommend wearing this knife on your pocket if you happen to be issued a pair of lightweight poly-blend pants, seeing as how the clip could very easily tear the pocket to shreds. It's also not a very quiet knife to open if you want to be stealthy. The assisted opening feature is under an extreme amount of tension, the sound it makes when it opens roughly resembles the sound a Glock slide makes when it's dropped into battery....Not good unless you want to give away a position to every Tom, Dick and Harry in the area.

The Pros far outweigh any cons that I might have about this knife. We won't go into the durability issue that I've sated already due to the fact that I don't want to beat this dead horse with a stick. So the two other points that I can make about it are this. Number one is the finish, it looks good because it's black and dull, it wont come out and say look at me. It's subdued and not a bit gaudy, It doesn't pretend to be a saber or a dagger, it just plays it part as a tactical knife and plays it well. The price is the second feature that is attractive to anyone in the public service industry because it's reasonable. Like most things you get what you pay for and knives are no exception to this rule. For a durable duty knife this is a very reasonable option. Kershaw's web page for this knife http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=85&brand=kershaw list the MSRP at $99.95. However http://www.thekershawstore.com/Kershaw_Tanto_Blur_Serrated_Knife_p/k1670tblkst.htm

Listed the price at $62.95

In conclusion I would say that if you're in the market for something that will provide you years of service at a reasonable price, then I would recommend the Tanto Blur.

Happy Halloween ! Here is a photo of Jack, carved with my Kershaw Tanto Blur.

-Reviewed by Travis Cloud 10/28/2010

If you would like to check out more on Kershaw then you can go to http://www.kershawknives.com/products.php?brand=kershaw

They even have a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/KershawKnives?v=wall.