Biomechanical Analysis of Spinal Immobilisation During Pre-hospital Extrication receives further funding

An award-winning collaborative project between the Centre for Pre-hospital Research (CPR) and the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences (PESS) at the University of Limerick has just received funding from PHECC for Phase 2 of the research project.

The research team comprised of Dr. Niamh Cummins (CPR), Dr. Joseph O'Halloran (PESS) and Mr. Mark Dixon (CPR and the Centre for Emergency Medical Science, University College Dublin) conducted the research in collaboration with the National Ambulance Service and Limerick Fire and Rescue Service. The project titled “Biomechanical Analysis of Spinal Immobilisation During Prehospital Extrication” set out to challenge some of the conventional wisdom around caring for patients of road traffic collisions. The results of the pilot study suggest that patients who require extrication by the Emergency Medical Services from a crashed vehicle may benefit from less, rather than more spinal immobilization.

The research project presented by Mark Dixon won the award for Best Scientific Presentation at the National Association of Emergency Medical Services Physicians (NAEMSP) Annual Meeting in the United States earlier this year and has since been published in the Emergency Medicine Journal. The next phase of the research commencing in January 2014 will build on the pilot study by increasing the sample size and including additional biomechanical measurements.

Pictured in Limerick Fire Station on Tuesday December 10th at the presentation of the research funding were; Mr. Mark Dixon (CPR-UL & CEMS-UCD), Ms. Sarah Courtney (NAS), Dr. Joseph O’Halloran (PESS-UL), Dr. Niamh Cummins (CPR-UL), Ms. Sylvia O’Mahony (PHECC) and Mr. Scott Keenan (Limerick Fire and Rescue Service).