Expressnews
Chennai, 17 October 2023: In an effort to raise consciousness around trauma response and sensitize the public about care during injuries relating from variousaccidents, Apollo Hospitals has called for greater awareness on Stop The Bleed techniques. A team of doctors from the Emergency Services Unit of Apollo Hospitals made the clarion call for awareness about the globally recognized set of life-saving procedures on the occasion of World Trauma Daytoday.
The team of doctors also performed a live demonstration to spread the message around Stop The Bleed techniques — a special set of protocols for bystanders who are responding to a medical emergency. The team highlighted that theintervention will help control bleeding and save time, beforetrained professionals arrive on the scene and take over. In essence, the intervention will empower bystanders in accident cases to play a key role during the critical first hour and save a life.
The doctors also flagged the rise in geriatric trauma cases and highlighted that the elderly are more susceptible to trauma-related injuries. Therefore, they report more falls at the ground level, slips and other concerns from similar events. The elderly are also on blood-thinning medications – this contributes greatly to their susceptibility.
Suneetha Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “Apollo Hospitals has emerged as a leading provider in the critical care and emergency services space. For starters, we have a team of skilled doctors, able first responders and dedicated support staff who are equipped to deal with a complex case load from across geographies. We have also expanded our offerings and invested in cutting-edge technologies and infrastructure to deal with a range of trauma and poly-trauma cases. Our ambulance services 1066 are state-of-the-art and a key part of our emergency response efforts. While we as a healthcare provider are constantly keeping pace with developments in this space and upskilling our staff, we also call upon the public to become aware of Stop The Bleed techniques and help create a more trauma-responsive community.”
Dr Senthil Kumar, Senior Consultant, Multi-Disciplinary Critical Care Unit, Apollo Hospitals, said, “We at Apollo Hospitals see World Trauma Day as an important occasion for us to create awareness around appropriate trauma response by all stakeholders. The Stop The Bleed Techniques are global standards for not just trained medical personnel but also lay people who may be required to respond to a variety of accident cases in the vicinity and beyond. We are treating a significant number of people with injuries from road accident cases. We are also seeing a rise in geriatric trauma cases —the elderly as a category are more susceptible and require our enduring support in their recovery journeys. There is thus an urgent need for us take cognizance of these developments and respond effectively as a community. Stop The Bleed is our special call to action. Our mission is to save lives and awareness is the key.”
Middle and low-income countries such as India account for 90% of all road traffic deaths. More than 400 people die every day due to road accidents in India. According to a World Bank Report of 2021, India accounts for 11% of global road deaths, with 53 road crashes occurring every hour. According to data provided by the AIIMS Trauma Centre, temporary or permanent disability affects almost 50% of all survival cases, though the mortality rates are logged at 2% – 3% of the total cases. The first seven months this year registered a total of 9,875 road accident victims.
