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EMRI offers training in traumacare

Hyderabad-based Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) together with US-based International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) is offering a trauma life support programme to medicos and paramedical staff. The training, which would be certified by the ITLS, is aimed at promoting uniform practices in trauma care.

Russell B Bieniek, ITLS director and team commander of National Disaster Medical System, said trauma management would aid in saving many lives. EMRI introduced the course in India two years but it applied for an ITLS chapter status now.

In India, about 1,20,000 people die due to accidents annually. About a third victims die instantaneously due to injuries. Another one-third die in a few hours after the accident and the remaining die in hospitals due to multi-system failures and complications due to infections. At least 50 per cent of the people succumbing within hours of the accident could be saved if the degree of trauma care was enhanced, he said.

EMRI handled about 1,000 accident cases everyday.

Also, the magnitude of accidents differed from country to country and the impact largely depended on safety measures taken. For instance, accidents in the US or in Riyadh were very fierce due to high speed.

But, the mortality was low as the drivers used seat belts and air in the case of four-wheelers and helmets when driving a two-wheeler. In India, though speed of the vehicle was a limiting factor, non-adherence to safety norms made most of the accidents fatal.

May 06, 2009