International Terrorism and Trauma Conference

Newswise — The Royal Society of Medicine and the Association of Academic Health Centers are holding an international health conference September 20-22 on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, to focus on differences in the legal and social environment in responding to terrorism and in medical treatment for terrorism injuries in the United States and Great Britain. The conference will describe each country's experience in dealing with terrorism and trauma and will seek to identify best practices so that each country can learn from the successes of the other.

The conference begins with panelists from the U.S. National Security Council, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.K. Department of Health discussing government responses to terrorism and treatment of victims. Afternoon panels will examine what would happen if a particularly virulent form of SARS was spread at a major U.S. airport or if anthrax spores were delivered to the UN, the NY Stock Exchange, and five major government agencies in Washington.

The second-day speakers will examine controversies in resuscitation, including whether paramedics should intubate in the field and what type of blood matches are necessary in trauma treatment. The day will include field tours of the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, new bioterrorism research labs, the heliport, hyperbaric chamber, Maryland Poison Center, emergency medical systems communication center, telemedicine center, and the stroke intervention center. Shock Trauma, founded in 1969, is the world's first trauma center.

The third day will feature panelists on the differences in treatment for the various types of trauma, including shredding, ballistic, bombs, chemical, and radiation injuries.

David Ramsay, DM, DPhil, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and foreign secretary for the Association of Academic Health Centers, says, "The conference is truly precedent-setting in bringing together experts from two long-time allies to focus on the most challenging issues of our time." The discussion will be conducted at the University of Maryland Medical School Teaching Facility at 10 S. Pine St.

Web links:Conference: http://www.umaryland.edu/terrorismandtrauma/Royal Society of Medicine: http://www.roysocmed.ac.uk/Association of Academic Health Centers: http://www.ahcnet.org/University of Maryland, Baltimore: http://www.umaryland.eduR Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center: http://www.umm.edu/shocktrauma/index.html