[First-aid measures in 939 fatally injured victims (author's transl)]

In a retrospective study first-aid measures taken in 939 individuals who had died from accidents and the means of transport were investigated. At the scene of accident, emergency medical technicians have been and will in future be the ones to take first measures (43%). Physicians (22%) and untrained persons (20%) alike have been found to attend to victims at about the same frequency. In 37% of the cases first-aid was administered in the form of conservative measures. Resuscitation, artificial respiration and infusions were instituted in only a few cases. 10% of the victims died at the site of the accident. Of 245 hospitalized individuals 15% had suffered shock, 9% were admitted for aspiration and 2% had died from excessive blood loss. In 80% of the cases both primary and secondary transport was by ambulance. In view of the above situation it is, therefore, urged that first-aid training of laymen be organized on a broad scale and that all possibilities of providing instruction be exploited. Emergency medical technicians should receive well-founded and goal-oriented training enabling them to master the outlined complications. Since adequate first-aid care from other physicians has not been available, there is a need to enlist increasingly the services of specially trained emergency ambulance physicians.