The European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA) was one the earliest supporters of Lifebox Foundation, the leading NGO making anaesthesia and surgery safer on a global scale.
Since 2012 at Euroanaesthesia in Paris, the commitment of
ESA members and membership societies has helped to support thousands of safer
surgeries through Lifebox’s equipment and training projects - across and beyond
the continent.
At Euroanaesthesia 2016 in London, the ESA-Lifebox Europe
Project took Lifebox’s fifth anniversary celebration to a whole new level.
We are pleased to announce that generous contributions from individuals through to industry (including Masimo, Teleflex and Kuoni) have made it possible to support large-scale safer anaesthesia projects across the Ukraine and Macedonia.
Step one: Kiev Clinical Hospital in the Ukraine, in December
2016. Thanks to support from the ESA-Lifebox Europe Project, Lifebox was able
to send 25 oximeters to the capital city, for wider distribution and an
accompanying training workshop.
Lifebox projects are not led at distance – they are driven
by local organisations and experts who know their communities best. ESA
colleagues at Bogomolets National Medical University, the Kiev City Hospital 1 administration,
and the Macedonian Society of Anaesthesiologists are taking the lead to support
safer anaesthesia across the country.
This workshop was open to a broad range of training levels:
from anaesthesiology and intensive care providers, to general surgery and
gynaecology practitioners. But all of them know the problems of delivering safe
anaesthesia and surgery in the Ukraine - challenges that ESA colleagues in
other member countries will likely never have to face.
“The workshop was highly important for our personnel and for
national anaesthesia efforts,” explained Dr Kateryna Bielka, from the national
society’s educational committee.
In the coming years, the Lifebox oximeters - specially
designed for demanding environments - will make anaesthesia and surgery safer
for thousands of patients. The training will have a long-term impact on how
essential equipment and safety processes are integrated into practice. The
support of ESA will help to strengthen ties between colleagues across a wide
continent, working towards a shared goal: safer anaesthesia for everyone who
needs it.
So: the ESA-Lifebox Europe Project is underway! We’re
extremely grateful - and excited to share what comes next. The European Society
of Anaesthesiology is the leading European Organisation for Anaesthesia,
Critical Care, Pain and Perioperative Medicine. ESA aims for the highest
standards of practice and safety in anaesthesia, perioperative medicine,
intensive care, emergency medicine and pain treatment through education,
research and professional development throughout Europe. ESA counts over 30 000
members worldwide.
The 2017 annual congress, Euroanaesthesia takes place in
Geneva, Switzerland 03-05 June. At least 6000 participants are expected from
over 80 countries.
Source & Image Credit: European Society of Anaesthesiology