Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
in collaboration with
Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
It is a drama that has just unfolded in the city of Annecy, in Haute-Savoie, this morning. Around 10 a.m., a 32-year-old Syrian injured six people, including four children, in a knife attack. How is the emergency medical care of these victims organised? The answers of Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo.
It is stupor in the small town of Annecy, in Haute-Savoie. A 32-year-old Syrian man stabbed people near the lake bordering the city, at Le Pâquier, to be precise.
The man injured six, including four children, aged 22 months to three years. According to a latest report communicated by the prefecture of Haute-Savoie, the victims are currently “hospital care“.
Victims in “absolute emergency”, whose “vital prognosis is engaged”
The victims of this assailant were therefore quickly taken care of by the emergency services. Some are described as being in “absolute emergency” with a “vital prognosis is engaged”. “When we speak of absolute urgency, it is in fact a “pre-sorting” that is done by emergency physicians“explains Dr. Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo.
“This makes it possible to then redirect the patients according to their condition. Generally, we speak of absolute emergency when one of the vital functions of the body is in distress, the vital prognosis of the victim is therefore engaged.“. In contrast, the urgency is said to be “relative” when the person is injured and requires care, but none of his vital functions is in danger.
“In this situation, the number of injured does not jeopardize hospital capacities, there is no white plan that will be triggered for example” adds the doctor. “The priority, however, is to let the police secure the perimeter, before being able to intervene medically, with the help of the firefighters. It is once there that the doctors can assess the condition of the victims and carry out the sorting explained above.
Is there specific hospital care for children?
As far as first aid care is concerned, it is emergency doctors who carry it out, so they are not doctors specifically intended for the care of children.
“On the other hand, for the hospital, it is possible to send child victims to pediatric hospitals, if they have the capacity to take care of them. Otherwise, they will be treated in emergency operating theaters and surgeons will take care of them, as for adult victims.“says Dr. Kierzek again.
What to do in the event of a stab wound?
When one is the victim of an act of this nature, the first reaction is fear, flight or amazement. However, it is absolutely necessary to react because a knife wound “chest or abdomen is immediately considered a serious wound” reminds Dr. Gérald Kierzek, because of the organs that are located in these anatomical areas. “The first reflex is to position the victim so that he can breathe, generally in a semi-sitting position, and compress his wound. If you are alone with several victims, you will have to give them tourniquets, to replace manual compression”. This is the only gesture to be made, the care of these victims will then have to be surgical. “Moreover, the urgency once the pressure point is achieved is to evacuate the victim as quickly as possible to an operating room.“Concludes Gérald Kierzek.