ACS Bulletin - September 2017

process used to move trauma patients to the hospital. Under this tiered response system, regular ambulance/paramedic teams carry out most transfers, but a MEDStar team, which is composed of both paramedics and physicians, is used for high-level trauma transfers.

Interestingly, paramedics are equipped to initiate red blood cell transfusions in the field. I spoke at the morning conference about pelvic trauma and discussed the Denver Health trauma team’s algorithm of care for multiply injured patients.

My host at RAH, Christopher Dobbins, MB, BS, FRACS, arranged my trauma surgery program visit at the RACS.

On the first full day of the
conference, I gave a lecture
on Management of the Open
Abdomen in 2017 as part of the
Trauma on the Cutting Edge
session. My talk included the
topics of temporary abdominal
closure, enteral nutrition in
the open abdomen, peritoneal
resuscitation, and sequential
fascial closure techniques. Other
speakers discussed rib fracture
fixation, junctional trauma, and
the Adelaide experience with
resuscitative thoracotomy. That
evening I attended the Women
in Surgery networking event and
had a delightful conversation
with the current leader, Melissa
Bochner, MB, BS, MS, FRACS,
and the incoming leader, Pecky
De Silva, MB, BS, FRACS.

On successive days of the
Congress, I gave two additional
lectures. First, I delivered the
ACS lecture on Hemorrhage
Control in Complex Pelvic
Fractures. ACS President
Courtney M. Townsend, Jr.,
MD, FACS, attended the lecture,
and Professor Civil introduced
me. My final lecture of the
Congress, Blunt Cerebrovascular
Injuries, was presented during
the joint Trauma and Vascular
Surgery session. Following my
talk, incoming RACS president
John Batten, FRACS, graciously
acknowledged my contributions
to the Congress meeting.

On to Sydney

Following the week in Adelaide for the RACS Congress, we enjoyed some sightseeing en route to Sydney. We drove along the southern coastline of Australia to Melbourne, stopping along the Great Ocean Road to admire different limestone formations, including The Twelve Apostles, The Loch Ard Gorge, The Bay of Martyrs, and London Bridge.

Arriving in Sydney was joyous for two reasons. First, I had never before been to Sydney. It is simply a wondrous city filled with the iconic Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay, and many other fascinating sights.