‘2-wheeler accidents cause open injuries’

PUNE: The world is facing a 'crisis' in trauma care since there is difficulty in enforcing precautions, and this is adding to the global healthcare bill, Indian and Canadian experts said at a trauma care conference in the city on Saturday.
"The majority of cases of trauma are outside North America. We need to create a new data set for the different kind of trauma cases that we are seeing around the world. The reality is that there is a crisis of trauma all over the world, which is costing lives and greatly adding to healthcare costs around the world. A collective study is needed to document all the cases of trauma to better help in its treatment," Mohit Bhandari, professor of orthopaedics at the McMaster University, said. The university is based out of Hamilton in the Canadian province of Ontario.

The conference was organised by the Sancheti Hospital with associations of orthopaedic surgeons. It focused on exchanging techniques in trauma care among physicians, surgeons as well as first responders. Organisers said about 45 doctors from all over the country are taking part in the conference, which includes workshops and a live surgery demonstration.

The Canadian representatives said Indian trauma cases involve their own challenges since most of the cases comprise two-wheeler accidents.

"In cases where a person gets injured due to two-wheeler accident, the incident of open wounds and fractures are much higher," Brad Petrishor from the medical faculty at McMaster said.

Bhandari said multiple factors are involved in assisting trauma injuries to help save a person's limbs and even life. "All of these factors need improvement as well as enforcement of basic precautions," Bhandari added.

"First responders need to be educated on how to handle a trauma victim. The process involves stabilising the patient, reducing the risk of complications like infections, and getting the person quickly to an appropriate centre of treatment. Enough education and infrastructure is required for that, and that is a challenge in India. Incidents of trauma are also increasing due to the difficulty in enforcing prevention measures, like wearing a helmet, or using seat-belts while driving," he said.