A stabbing, cardiac arrest, multiple casualty incidents and road traffic collisions were just some of the 225 emergency calls which Wicklow Rapid Response dealt with during 2017.
Over 200 patients were treated by the advanced and critical pre-hospital emergency care service, provided voluntarily by Wicklow Rapid Response WWRR) at the request of the National Ambulance Service.
In its review of 2017, WWRR outlined their calls:
- 30 cardiac arrests, of which 5 survived to hospital discharge, with a complete recovery
- 17 paediatric cases
- 40 Road Traffic Collisions
- 4 multiple casualty incidents
- 2 agricultural injuries
- 1 stabbing
In addition to responding rapidly due to being available in the community, the WWRR doctor is also able to bring additional specialist skills and treatments to the patient. This year these included:
9 General Anaesthetics (inducing a medical coma to place a patient on life support to protect their airway in cases of severe head injury or where a patient is deeply unconscious) and 26 patients discharged at scene (avoiding the need to transport to the Emergency Department, thus freeing up ambulance resources and Emergency Department capacity).
Wicklow Rapid Response Chairman Colm Dempsey said: “Bringing the hospital to the patient is what Wicklow Rapid Response is all about. There are people alive today due to the treatment that a specialist Emergency Medicine doctor can provide. Wicklow Rapid Response is one of only 4 such services currently providing this level of care in Ireland”
Wicklow Rapid Response is a voluntary organisation, which aims to provide near Intensive Critical Care level treatment for their local communitiy in the pre-hospital environment, where there are life-threatening circumstances.
The volunteer emergency medical Doctor, who specialises in pre-hospital emergency medicine, using the Skoda Yeti Rapid Response vehicle, to rapidly respond is declared as a National Ambulance Service asset. He is called simultaneously with the Ambulance, when a serious emergency such as a cardiac arrest or major trauma occurs.
Wicklow Rapid Response receives no statutory funding and is completely dependent on donations to support the service. You can make a contribution at www.wwrr.ie
