Experts Call For Systematic Approach To Reduce Injury Deaths

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Feb, 2020 ) :Thousands of injury deaths every year in Pakistan can be averted by taking safety measures on one side and by adopting a systematic approach to improve trauma care on the other, said experts here Friday.

Addressing the inaugural session of the 5th AKU Annual Surgical Conference titled "Trauma: Striving for Change" they also noted that a systematic approach ensures that life-saving interventions are performed in a timely manner and that no life-threatening conditions are missed.

As per WHO guidelines, such an approach was suggested to consist of emergency care in the form of first aid being provided by a trained bystander, who can also call an ambulance - equipped with necessary life support and at least two personnel - one to monitor and manage the patient and the other to drive.

Ambulance personnel should be able to communicate to a relevant hospital prior to arrival,if needed, they recommended adding that during the handover,the ambulance provider should share critical information with hospital personnel,who then triage patients to different areas based on the seriousness of their condition.

Professor Syed Ather Enam, Chair of the Department of Surgery at AKU, on the occasion referred to a case report of a two and half-year old boy, who sustained three gunshots at point-blank range.

The child was unresponsive when the terrified family brought him to the emergency department of the Aga Khan University Hospital after trying two nearby hospitals, he said mentioning that due to his inability to respond to initial resuscitation efforts, a team of paediatric, cardiothoracic and orthopaedic surgery, and paediatric anesthesiology specialists were taken on board and he was moved to the operating room immediately.

" Today, he is a healthy four-and-a-half-year old school going child," said the surgeon reminding that there could be thousands of people who were not lucky like him.

" That is because our hospitals lack multidisciplinary teams of specialists and the emergency care system as a whole is short of fully equipped ambulances and trained bystanders," Professor Enam said.

AKU's Annual Surgical Conference brought together national and international experts with expertise in pre-hospital care, mass casualty, rehabilitation, prevention and disaster management.

" Since blood loss is the leading cause of preventable death following injury, rapid control of bleeding at the scene of an event can be lifesaving, especially if bystanders can step in to help before emergency responders arrive," said Eileen Bulger, a Professor of surgery at the University of Washington.

On the second day of the conference, AKU's upcoming Centre of Excellence for Trauma and Emergencies, and partners will launch a national life-saving initiative focused on bystander training in life support.

Speakers reminded that emergency care is essential to many targets of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

Under SDG 3, good health and wellbeing: Post-crash emergency care and rehabilitation has been estimated to play a role in preventing 40 per cent of road traffic deaths.

Also, timely emergency care access is critical to effective universal health coverage.

Dr. Hasan Badre Alam, a professor of surgery at the University of Michigan in his detailed presentation said Emergency Care can also contribute to efforts to achieve targets under 10 more SDGs by addressing non-communicable diseases, obstetric complications, child health issues, and injuries related to disasters and violence.

AKU Vice Provost Anjum Halai, Medical College Dean, Adil Haider and chair of the event's organising committee HasnainZafar also spoke on the occasion.