“Dreadful” exercise: discover the “shadow work” of Samu de la Manche

The “Redoutable” exercise, under the direction of Professor Lionel Lamhaut and the medical coordination of the Samu de la Manche led by the doctor Thomas Delomas, is a first in France. A work carried out with the Paris Samu.

This is an unprecedented opportunity for us and the population. We were very happy to put it together before the passing of the Olympic flame and the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. This is a large rehearsal under real conditions. Coordination must be perfect, with a multitude of actors. The key is to be able to think of everything before a possible real disaster situation.

The choice of Cherbourg was also made with regard to the proximity of its nuclear sites and its numerous maritime connections.

“Redoubtable” also serves as a concrete annual exercise for training in disaster medicine at Paris Cité University as well as Samu and Smur personnel.

A definite recognition for the latter.

The role of Samu is little known. We manage exceptional health situations. This is important shadow work. In the “Redoutable” configuration, the Samu de la Manche is sent to Cherbourg to coordinate the norias between the advanced medical posts at sea and on land before the arrival of reinforcement teams from Orly, in particular.

Around twenty places in France

The theme of serious burn victims was not chosen at random. In France, only around twenty places can accommodate these victims. Closest to the Channel, they are located in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), Tours (Indre-et-Loire), Paris (Île-de-France), even Lille (North).

“In everyday life, we don’t need more,” explains the Manche emergency doctor. The room of a severe burn victim must be able to be transformed into an operating theater at any time and this requires expensive resources. »

European reinforcements

But as the reminder Professor Thomas, chief doctor of the burn treatment center of the Percy Army training hospital in Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine):

” In case of saturation, that’s to say beyond 25 severe burns, national and European reinforcements are necessary to distribute the victims. We regularly collaborate with German, Belgian, Swiss and even Spanish hospitals, exceptionally. And in the case of pediatric places, they are even lower.»

Remember that in the event of a burn, the first reflex to adopt is to place the affected area under warm water for 15 minutes.

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