Firefighters, paramedics getting an update on treating trauma injuries

Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2003 | 9:13 a.m.

About 40 local firefighters and paramedics return to the classroom today for training on how to treat traumatic head and neck injuries suffered by people in vehicle crashes.

A. David MacIntyre, who conducted similar classes as a surgical resident at hospitals near Detroit, said the training will help emergency workers focus on life-threatening injuries.

"It's an advanced course for Las Vegas firefighters and paramedics," MacIntyre said.

The course will vividly explore what happens to a human body during a traffic collision.

"The best thing about this class is that firefighters and paramedics will see inside the heart, the thorax, the aorta and the airways," MacIntyre said of the one-day course at the Clark County coroner's office.

After classroom lectures, emergency workers will get to practice on a cadaver donated through the University of Nevada School of Medicine.

The course will be offered again in October and then on an annual basis for emergency personnel.

MacIntyre is a doctor of osteopathic medicine and a critical care fellow at the University Medical Center Trauma Unit.

The UMC Trauma Unit treats an estimated 8,000 trauma patients a year who are involved in auto crashes, UMC spokeswoman Cheryl Persinger said.

The average number of cases for a typical trauma center ranges from 1,000 to 1,500, MacIntyre said. But UMC is the only Level I Trauma Center in a 10,000-square-mile radius, he said.

As Southern Nevada's population continues to grow, so does the number of traffic fatalities.

According to the National Transportation Safety Administration, Nevada recorded 381 traffic deaths in 2002, 21 percent more than in 2001.

UMC's Trauma Center, Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, the Clark County coroner's office and the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety have teamed up to educate the first responders.

UMC trauma physicians are also involved in the course, including the director of the trauma center, John Fildes, as well as Deborah Kuhls, Salahuddin Ahmed, David Slattery, John McCourt and trauma registered nurse Julie Rabeau.

Another goal of the course will be improving communication between those in the field at the crash scene and physicians and nurses at the hospital, MacIntyre said.

Responders will be tested before and after the course.