Prehospital trauma Academic Forum

2017 welcomed us into a PCP forum like no other!

With the Perrin Lecture Theatre packed full; the evening began with Dr Ben Singer, consultant in critical care, ECMO and anaesthetics, as well as HEMS emeritus for KSS discussing prehospital ECMO. Dr Singer spoke about the role of ECMO (Extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation) in a prehospital cardiac arrest scenario. It was emphasised the importance of being able to administer ECMO within a 30 minute window in order for better outcomes - with evidence showing an increase in survival post discharge from a prehospital cardiac arrest from <10% to 30%. Dr Singer provided an insightful account of his own experiences of ECMO and what the future held in this exciting area of prehospital care.

​The second half of the forum provided a bit of a twist compared to the normal AF setup. Based on a case attended by PCP student Ella Smith, a real time re-enactment was performed of the case: starting with the 999 call through to the handover in A&E. We were privileged to have HEMS, LAS and Police Medics participating in the live demonstration, giving the audience a real time account of what happens at a call out, in this scenario of a motorcyclist involved in an RTC. The interactive session gave audience members the opportunity to think through what they would do if they were in the shoes of either the doctor and paramedic on scene.
The forum was wrapped up with a discussion based on the case from the live demonstration, allowing both the participants and the audience to reflect on the difficulties the case presented.

​2017 is off to a great start and we look forward to seeing you all on February 28th!

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