Cork hosts two significant trauma training events as Cork University Hospital enhances capability as Major Trauma Centre

HSE South West is supporting two major specialised training events for doctors who treat patients with the most serious complex and life-threatening injuries.

As set out in the National Trauma Strategy, A Trauma System for Ireland, Cork University Hospital (CUH) is the Major Trauma Centre for the South Trauma Network, with the Mater Misercordiae University Hospital as the Major Trauma Centre for the Central Trauma Network. The Major Trauma Audit 2022 reported that there were 3,323 major trauma cases in Ireland.

On 2 and 3 October, a specialist training course will be held for Consultant Anaesthesiologists, offering advanced, hands-on experience in damage control resuscitation and major trauma care runs in conjunction with an Emergency and Resuscitative Surgery Skills Course. Together, the two courses will help to best prepare both surgeons and anaesthesiologists to deliver effective damage control resuscitation and surgery for patients suffering major trauma.

Speaking in advance of the training, Dr Alan Horan, Consultant Anaesthesiologist at CUH said, “This course focuses on improving patient safety and survival in high-stakes trauma situations. Using cadaveric training, high-fidelity simulators, and cutting-edge surgical skills laboratories, participants will practise essential procedures such as advanced airway management, bleeding control, and vascular access. The course is deliberately targets 12 consultants, ensuring maximum one-to-one teaching and feedback from a distinguished faculty of anaesthesiology and trauma experts from Ireland and the UK.”

Commenting on the Emergency and Resuscitative Surgery Skills course, Professor Brian Manning, Vascular Surgeon at CUH said; “The Emergency and Resuscitative Surgery Skill Course (ERSSC) is a unique training event aimed at teaching lifesaving skills to surgeons who will find themselves providing care for the seriously injured. We aim to create highly realistic simulations of the initial emergency room management of seriously injured patients, reproducing the high-pressure decision-making scenarios that trauma doctors face in real life. These simulations take place in purpose-built simulation suites at the ASSERT centre at UCC’s Brookfield Health Sciences Complex. Participants will also have an opportunity to perform commonly as well as less commonly performed emergency operations on cadavers, expertly guided by trauma specialists from Ireland and the UK. This gives surgeons the skills and confidence to perform lifesaving operations, and to know which patients require which operations and when.”