February 21st, 2008 - Emergency Room Trauma - Dr Braimah Kassim, Surgeon at The Princess Alexandra Hospital sat down with Let's Talk for an hour filled with information and general awareness.
Dr Kassim stressed upon the need for people to be careful on the public roads since the majority of trauma cases he sees are related to vehicular accidents. The problem is compounded when victims arrive at the emergency room with high levels of alcohol in their system; thus making it very difficult to get an accurate result of their condition and to begin treatment.
The Doctor gave some very interesting statistics on the increase in car accidents on Anguilla from the past eight years and It became clear that something definitely needs to be done on the increase in accidents on our roads. The Doctor mentioned the use of seat belts and cell phones while driving.
Other points mentioned were the The "golden hour" in the treatment of trauma victims, an explanation of different types of trauma, and the various types of shock as well as the importance of fluid resuscitation and trauma surgery.
Dr Kassim had strong words for relatives and friends of trauma victims who come to the hospital to cause trouble. He advised listeners to remain calm when faced with such a situation and let the professional emergency team do their duties. Coming to the hospital and screaming and getting angry at the Doctor does not help and it only takes valuable time away from attending to the victims.
His advice to friends and relatives: Remain calm, come to the hospital and wait until the doctor comes to you to brief you. You may pray, read, just take it easy and let the medical team do their work undisturbed.
Definitely great advice from the doctor. Hope everyone is listening.
Generally, the earlier a trauma patient can get specialized care, the greater the chances of survival and recovery, so remember to conduct yourselves properly in the emergency room and Let the Doctor do his or her job. In stressful and traumatic situations your behaving badly will definitely not help the situation.
Dr Kassim can be reached at The Princess Alexandra Hospital on Anguilla.
PH: (264) 497-2551
Fax: (264) 497-5745