Lessons learned from the ICARE course

Last week, our MSc student cohort attended the Intensive Care for Austere and Remote Environments course. I designed this course as part of the MSc Austere Critical Care programme. Dr Csaba and I wanted hands-on experience for the students enrolled in the programme. We believe that critical care skills cannot be learned via an online-only format.

Whenever I am in the classroom, I endeavour to learn from each student as they go through the programme. Last week was no exception. I wanted to try some improvised wound vacuum techniques, and I challenged my students to come up with some options. According to the published CPGs, we needed 125 mmHg of negative pressure. One of the SOF medics devised a technique to measure the negative pressure using an oxygen tube with a loop. We measured how much water moved in the tube as we decreased the pressure in the wound. This formula converts the pressure of mmH2O into mmHg. So now we have a working model on how to get precise measurements for an improvised wound vacuum.

Critical Care is a passion for me, specifically with casualties in difficult environments. This is why I designed the MSc Austere Critical Care programme. This is why I designed the ICARE. We continue to sprinkle critical care concepts in many of our courses. It all starts with TCCC/TECC then moves into PFC, then into Austere Critical Care.

The Bottom Line: Be good at what you do. Find alternatives to the equipment you need to provide care in resource-limited environments.