[Medical Emergency Preparedness in offshore wind farms : New challenges in the german north and baltic seas].

[Medical Emergency Preparedness in offshore wind farms : New challenges in the german north and baltic seas]. Anaesthesist. 2016 Apr 12; Authors: Stuhr M, Dethleff D, Weinrich N, Nielsen M, Hory D, Kowald B, Seide K, Kerner T, Nau C, Jürgens C Abstract BACKGROUND: Offshore windfarms are constructed in the German North and Baltic Seas. The off-coast remoteness of the windfarms, particular environmental conditions, limitations in offshore structure access, working in heights and depths, and the vast extent of the offshore windfarms cause significant challenges for offshore rescue. Emergency response systems comparable to onshore procedures are not fully established yet. Further, rescue from offshore windfarms is not part of the duty of the German Maritime Search and Rescue Organization or SAR-Services due to statute and mandate reasons. Scientific recommendations or guidelines for rescue from offshore windfarms are not available yet. The present article reflects the current state of medical care and rescue from German offshore windfarms and related questions. The extended therapy-free interval until arrival of the rescue helicopter requires advanced first-aid measures as well as improved first-aider qualification. Rescue helicopters need to be equipped with a winch system in order to dispose rescue personnel on the wind turbines, and to hoist-up patients. For redundancy reasons and for conducting rendezvous procedures, adequate sea-b...
Source: Der Anaesthesist - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Anaesthesist Source Type: research