DRF holds annual conference for emergency physicians and paramedics

DRF holds annual conference for emergency physicians and paramedics

19-Apr-2011 Source: DRF

At the beginning of April, the 10th annual medical conference of the DRF Luftrettung took place in Freiburg, in southern Germany: About 100 emergency physicians and paramedics of the DRF Luftrettung got together to exchange their ideas on subjects of emergency medicine. The event provided the medical personnel of the DRF Luftrettung, which is stationed in 31 locations in Germany, Austria and Denmark, a quality-oriented discussion forum to derive important guidelines for their daily work. The Baden-Württemberg Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, Family and Seniors, Dr. Monika Stolz, opened the event and in her speech stressed the important contribution to emergency medical care made by the DRF Luftrettung.

Afterwards, CEO Steffen Lutz and Dr. Jörg Braun, Medical Director of the DRF Luftrettung, gave a report on developments, continuing medical education and projects throughout the organisation: “To give the crews the best-possible preparation for their missions and to guarantee a consistently high level of training, the DRF Luftrettung offers various advanced training courses in 2011. 16 simulator courses, six compulsory HCM advanced training courses, six Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) courses and two courses in rescue technology will be held. Furthermore, we are focusing on determining consistent procedures and criteria for the transport of donor organs, a matter of increasing importance nation-wide”, Dr. Jörg Braun ex-plained.

Chairman Prof. André Gries provided information on the work of the medical and scientific advisory board of the DRF Luftrettung. The goal of the 14-member board is to have the air rescue even better networked and repre-sented at the state and federal decision-making levels. For example, the bases of the DRF Luftrettung as well as the relevant professional associations, societies and committees are also to be included into the work of the medical and scientific advisory board. “All efforts are focused on highly qualified emergency and intensive care of the patients. According to current studies and demands by professional associations, the essential goal is to bring emergency patients to a destination hospital that is suitable for them”, Prof. Gries explained in his speech.

Diverse Subjects

The agenda of the two-day annual conference further included the im-portance of the air rescue with regard to hospital network structures. Prof. Dr. Norbert Südkamp, Managing Director of the Orthopaedics and Trauma Department at the Freiburg University Clinic presented the trauma network South Baden, an association of several hospitals certified by the German Association for Trauma Surgery (DGU). The goal of this network is to improve treatment of the seriously injured through coordinated communication chan-nels and standards of care as well as quality-driven cooperative efforts.

Furthermore, the safety management system of the DRF Luftrettung and the psychological care of personnel affected by stressful missions were on the agenda.

On the second day of the event, Dr. Nina Eulitz, Assistant Medical Director of Palliative Care at the Red Cross Hospital in Kassel, drew the connection to difficult assignments in the air rescue by talking on the subject of “Dealing with palliative patients”. The next agenda items were the handling of multi-resistant bacteria and the hygiene management of the DRF Luftrettung.

The presentations were concluded by a summary of the new resuscitation guidelines of the European Resuscitation Council as well as the implementa-tion measures involved. Furthermore, interesting data from the resuscitation register of the German Association for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (DGAI) were presented and an overview of the resuscitation of trauma patients was given. Finally, the senior physician from a HEMS Base of DRF Luftrettung located at Dresden presented the advantages and disadvantages of mechanical resuscitation aids in the helicopter. The quality of cardiac massage as a decisive factor for a successful resuscitation increasingly comes to the fore in the new guidelines. Here, mechanical systems may provide valuable help. Various types are currently being tested and used on board the Greifswald and Regensburg helicopters of the DRF Luftrettung.

“As in previous years, the event met with a very positive response and has led to lively discussions among the professionals,” Dr. Jörg Braun summed up the annual conference in a positive way.

DRF Luftrettung

DRF Luftrettung employs about 50 helicopters for emergency services and the transport of intensive care patients between hospitals at 31 HEMS bases in Germany, Austria and Denmark, eight of them are operating around the clock. In addition, the air ambulance aircraft of DRF Luftrettung are used to transport patients world-wide. About 500 emergency physicians, 260 para-medics, 170 pilots as well as 70 technicians are deployed with the DRF  Luftrettung. In 2010, they flew a total of 36,900 missions.

More information in the Internet at: www.drf-luftrettung.de/english.htm

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