Last month saw pre-hospital and emergency care professionals from around the globe gather for the first European Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Congress in Copenhagen. Opened by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, the 3-day event aimed to set new standards for research and treatment, as well as to establish an EMS Leadership Network in Europe, targeted at strengthening cross-national collaboration. Running under the theme of ‘It takes a system to save a life’, presentations emphasised the need for cooperation between the dispatch centre, ambulance services and the emergency departments for lives to be saved.
Denmark has made an impressive contribution to the field of resuscitation medicine. The congress was used as a platform to highlight the latest figures from the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry, which collects nationwide data relating to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. They revealed that in Denmark nearly one in four survive sudden cardiac arrest in public spaces. This is due, in part, because of the remarkable increase in the number of bystanders performing CPR before the arrival of EMS (19.4%–65.8% from 2001–2014). This is worth taking note, as approximately 1 in 8 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients survive if bystander CPR is initiated, compared to 1 in 30 when it is not. This provides a valid argument for implementing CPR training in schools, as well as illustrating how involvement of the community should be an integral part of any EMS.
The congress was also used to launch the Global Resuscitation Alliance, a network focused on collaborating to increase survival from sudden cardiac arrest. This agreement, signed in Copenhagen at an Utstein meeting prior to the congress, constitutes the culmination of three decades of international work, and is a major and decisive step in global efforts to save more lives from sudden cardiac arrest. Participants of the alliance have committed themselves to the ambitious target of increasing survival rates by 50%.
Alongside the scientific programme, sponsored symposia and workshops offered delegates the opportunity to expand their knowledge on areas such as managing the everyday critically ill patient, and improve their competence with a hands-on procedural cadaver lab.
Additionally, 13 teams from around the world competed in the European EMS Championship. The competition consisted of scenario-based events that tested each team's ability to manage patients in various circumstances with common critical medical conditions and trauma. London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) walked away with the top prize, fighting off stiff competition from Turkey and Denmark in the final. Judges praised LAS for their extraordinary skills and team work in the final scenario: a canoe accident on a Copenhagen beach.
This would easily have been enough to satisfy those attending the congress, yet a number of excellent social events were also added to the mix. From morning runs and swims to an emergency management scenario at Copenhagen City Hall Square and a Gala Dinner, organisers went to every effort to ensure the event was a success. Delegates will undoubtedly be itching to return in 2017.