Singapore, 27 February 2016 – The Society for Emergency Medicine in Singapore (SEMS), Resuscitation Council of Asia and SingHealth co-hosted the 2nd International Resuscitation Science Symposium, held in conjunction with the SEMS’s Annual Scientific Meeting. The opening ceremony was officiated by Guest-of Honour, Dr Lam Pin Min, Minister of State, Ministry of Health, Singapore.

Held from 27-28 February at Academia on the Singapore General Hospital Campus, more than 600 local and overseas emergency medicine practitioners across various specialties and professions including Emergency Medicine Physicians, Anaesthesiologists, Cardiologists, Nurses and Paramedics are expected to attend the Symposium. 

“It is a privilege for Singapore to host this prestigious event for the international resuscitation and emergency medicine community. As emergency medicine continues to develop and evolve, this Symposium provides invaluable opportunities to network and share knowledge and expertise,” said Associate Professor Lim Swee Han, Co-organising Chairperson, President of Society for Emergency Medicine in Singapore, Chairman of Resuscitation Council of Asia and Treasurer of International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR).

International platform to exchange best practices in resuscitation care 

The practice of emergency medicine covers a broad field of knowledge and advanced procedural skills, and requires strong teamwork between healthcare teams so that patients receive the most timely and appropriate diagnosis and treatment. 

The importance of knowledge sharing is evident from multinational partnerships such as the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS) – a clinical research network led by Singapore that involves 13 countries embarking on research in the Asia-Pacific region – which has led to the development of strategies to improve cardiac arrest survival rates. The symposium provides the platform for further exchange of knowledge and potential collaborations. 

With a focus on Resuscitation, the Symposium will cover pertinent topics, ranging from Pre-hospital Medicine, to Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support, as well as Emergency Cardiac Care and Post Resuscitation Care. 

The line-up of speakers includes leading clinicians and researchers from local and overseas healthcare institutions, as well as leaders of the ILCOR and Resuscitation Councils from across Asia who will be sharing their expertise in areas such as Disaster Medicine, Emergency Nursing, Medical Education, Paediatrics, and Palliative Medicine. 

With heart disease as the top cause of death globally with 17.3 million deaths each year according to 2015 statistics by the American Heart Association, one of the key highlights of the Symposium is the Ian Jacobs Memorial lecture, “Top 10 Strategies to Improve Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Survival”, by Dr Jerry Nolan, Honorary Professor of Resuscitation Medicine at the University of Bristol, UK, and Vice Chair of the European Resuscitation Council. 

National Resuscitation Council of Singapore to release new set of guidelines 

At the opening ceremony, it was also announced that the National Resuscitation Council of Singapore (NRCS) will release a new set of guidelines in April this year. 

The new set of NRCS guidelines has been developed based on the latest Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiac Care Science and Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR) by ILCOR. CoSTR is a set of international recommendations that plays a pivotal role in helping Resuscitation Councils worldwide to develop guidelines relevant to their own healthcare systems. 

Two broad areas which the revised guidelines will focus on were unveiled at the Symposium. On the pre-hospital front, the revised guidelines will advocate dispatcher-assisted chest compressions-only CPR for lay-rescuers, as well as training lay-rescuers in compressions-only CPR. 

The revised guidelines will also focus on improving survival and neurological patient outcomes by enhancing post-resuscitation care in the hospitals. Greater emphasis will be placed on administering emergency percutaneous coronary intervention in a timely manner, as well as instituting targeted temperature management for at least 24 hours as the standard of care.