FOR RELEASE: Immediately
March 1, 2006
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CONTACT: Gina A. Steiner
Donna E. Habich
(847) 825-5586
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Doctors Day 2006 Promotes Emergency Preparedness
CHICAGO — We
cannot always predict when disaster will strike, but
we can prepare for the unexpected. Doctors, in particular,
understand the importance of having an emergency plan
in place. They know it will reduce anxiety and help individuals
and families to better cope during a time of crisis.
With some thought and planning, you, too, can be better
prepared.
Disasters—whether manmade or natural—are
different from other kinds of emergencies. Large numbers
of people might need medical attention all at one time,
and their needs could range from basic first aid to advanced
life support.
Physicians from all specialties could be called upon
to provide general medical help. Anesthesiologists would
be especially needed to manage the airways of people
who could not breathe on their own; to diagnose and treat
life-threatening conditions such as acute respiratory
or kidney failure; to administer intravenous fluids and
blood transfusions; and to provide pain relief to seriously
injured victims. They would also be needed as part of
the medical team transporting critically ill patients
from disaster sites or triage centers to hospitals, and,
of course, to provide anesthesia to victims needing surgery.
Communities throughout the United States will be celebrating
the national observance of Doctors Day on March 30, 2006.
While physicians in all specialties and primary care
medicine are honored, Doctors Day was first observed
because of the efforts of one physician whose endeavors
specifically related to the specialty of anesthesiology.
On March 30, 1842, Crawford W. Long, M.D., of Jefferson,
Ga., administered the first ether anesthesia to James
Venable and then operated to remove a tumor from the
man’s neck. The man would swear later that he felt
nothing during the surgery and was not aware it was over
until he awoke. Dr. Long’s history-making achievement
on that day, and the continuous efforts by physicians
to alleviate human suffering in the 164 years since then,
have become the basis for celebrating Doctors Day each
year.
According to ASA President Orin F. Guidry, M.D., “The
advances in anesthesiology since Dr. Long’s historic
event have resulted in a medical specialty comprising
highly trained men and women who are dedicated to relieving
pain and saving lives in a variety of settings, from
the operating room to a battlefield or disaster site.”
In a health crisis that would send large numbers of
patients to hospital intensive care units, such as an
influenza pandemic, anesthesiologists would be vitally
important. These physicians often work in the demanding
and fast-paced arenas of critical care and trauma medicine
because of their expertise in sustaining the life functions
of patients.
Recent large-scale disasters in the United States and
the world have illuminated the potential of these events
to overwhelm medical and other community resources. Anesthesiologists
are committed to contributing their expertise to planning
efforts at the local and national level, and to being
part of disaster response teams that are formed in advance
and ready to go at a moment’s notice. They participate
in disaster drills, courses and other educational activities
to prepare to help the maximum number of victims should
disaster strike.
Just as anesthesiologists continually train and prepare
for the unexpected, they encourage individuals and families
to do the same by developing an emergency plan that includes
disaster drills; a disaster kit with provisions (including
medicines) that will enable a family or individual to
be self-sufficient for at least four days; an emergency
plan for evacuating the family residence; and a plan
for the care of family pets.
An up-to-date medical record for each member of the
family is another vital component of the disaster kit.
It provides doctors with accurate information about a
patient’s health history, which plays a crucial
role in administering proper medical care. As part of
the medical records, ASA’s “Anesthesia & Me”© Checklist
can be downloaded. *
< www.asahq.org/patientEducation/Anes
& Me Checklist.pdf>
For further information on emergency preparedness,
ASA encourages you to check with your community regarding
local emergency preparedness plans, and visit the following
government Web sites:
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) <www.dhs.gov>
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) <www.fema.gov>
Should you have questions regarding anesthesia, we
recommend that you contact an anesthesiologist through
your local hospital or state anesthesiology society,
or contact the ASA Executive Office, 520 N. Northwest
Highway, Park Ridge, IL 60068-2573, (847) 825-5586,
or visit the ASA Web site <www.ASAhq.org >.
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists
is an educational, research and scientific association
with 40,000 members organized to raise and maintain
the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology
and improve the care of the patient .
# # #
Media Advisory: ASA’s “Emergency
Preparedness” VNR and ANR will be distributed
in late March. For further details, contact ASA Public
Relations Manager Donna Habich at (847) 825-5586.
* The “Anesthesia & Me”© Checklist
is protected by copyright. American Society of Anesthesiologists
attribution is required.
Copyright © 2006 American Society
of Anesthesiologists
All Rights Reserved