ER24 team wins EMS competition

A team from ER24 Potchefstroom earned first place in an emergency medical services (EMS) patient simulation competition at the second annual Fit to Fight Fire Competition and Expo in Midvaal.

The Fit to Fight Fire event, held at the Meyerton Sports Club in Midvaal, is a five-stage competition that attracts fire and rescue teams across South Africa. The aim is to test and showcase the skills and experience of firefighters in different communities.

This year, the organisers added an emergency medical services (EMS) patient simulation competition, pitting seven EMS teams from Johannesburg, Klerksdorp, Potchefstroom, and the Vaal Triangle against each other. Daniëlle Sparrow, an advanced life support (ALS) paramedic at ER24 Potchefstroom, led the winning team, which was made up of herself and two other medics: basic life support (BLS) Marcel Nel and intermediate life support (ILS) Ruan Cato.

Teamwork is crucial in emergency medical services

“This event truly put our knowledge to the test,” Sparrow says. “Although I’m a new ER24 practitioner, our team knew each other’s strengths, capabilities, and competencies. This win underscored the importance of teamwork and the indispensable role of each team member in administering world-class emergency medical care.”  

The event was hosted by North-West University and EPIC EM, a pioneering consultancy in the emergency medicine sector. ER24 Potchefstroom Branch Manager Johan du Preez explains that each team had to assess and treat a dummy patient in the simulated competition. State-of-the-art equipment was used for the high-fidelity simulation to create an experience as close to real life as possible.

“The case presented was that of a trauma patient who had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest during an attempted robbery,” says Du Preez. “During his imaginary escape, he had fallen from a high fence, and been attacked by a dog from the canine unit. This dog attack had resulted in a traumatic amputation.”

Best practice guidelines for EMS

Sparrow’s team, the Steth-O-Scoops, were quick to react, employing new, best-practice International Trauma Life Support guidelines. “Ruan took charge to ensure the scene was safe for us to approach and that the dog wasn’t still on the attack,” she says. “We then conducted a primary survey, to ensure the simulated patient’s vital functions (airway, breathing and circulation), were adequate.”

A rapid trauma survey revealed a suspected traumatic brain injury, which they were able to identify because the dummy’s pupils were unequal, and a gunshot wound to the chest. A fractured pelvis from the fall was quickly bound to close the space, and the team applied a tourniquet where the leg had been ripped off to stop the catastrophic bleed.

“We also assessed the patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation levels,” Sparrow adds. “Because of extensive bleeding, we implemented conservative fluid management so as not to dilute the blood too much. We also gave oxygen to treat the low saturation levels.”

In addition, the winning team decompressed the simulated patient’s chest, and administered pain medication and tranexamic acid (TXA). This medication is used to assist in controlling the bleeding when there is excessive blood loss from major trauma.

Coping with cardiac arrest

“The simulated patient then went into cardiac arrest, so we administered high-quality CPR and obtained a suitable airway with a laryngeal mask airway (LMA),” Sparrow explains. Post-cardiac arrest care included an adrenaline infusion, and the team recommended the patient be airlifted to an appropriate hospital with a level one trauma centre. “We needed to ensure a neuro- and trauma surgeon would be available to continue with the definitive management of our patient,” she says.

Besides being competitive, the event was very educational, Sparrow adds. “It wasn’t about being the best or worst team. It was a great learning opportunity, and I’d love to enter again next year.”