VIENNE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES – SAMU 86

Vienne emergency medical services is one of the 105 SAMU organizations in France.
Its competence extends throughout the Vienne department.

The mission of this public hospital service is to respond 24h/24 to requests for emergency medical assistance by dialing 15, a free-of-charge telephone number.

The SAMU optimizes departmental health care resources and favors equality of access for the totality of the population.

 

THE MISSIONS OF SAMU 86

Regulation of calls for emergency medical assistance

Samu

Constituting the main operational mission, it consists in:

  • reception and sorting out (triage) of calls, a permanent medical watch, 24h/24h;
  • dispatching and coordination of the most suitable means of assistance as expeditiously as possible;
  • verification of the availability of public or private hospital beds so as to immediately refer patients to the department the best adapted to their pathology (search for beds);
  • informing the receiving department so that admission of the patient can be adequately prepared.

Participation in different rescue and contingency plans

The SAMU actively participates in the elaboration, organization and implementation of rescue and contingency plans (French “white plan”, NOVI plan, ORSEC plan) during large-scale public gatherings or accidents with numerous victims.

Definition of the French rescue and contingency plans:  

 

Plan rougeNOVI plan (Numerous Victims)
The NOVI plan is designed to treat numerous victims in the same place, and to organize means of rescue taking into account their large-scale aggregation in space.

 

 

Plan blanc

WHITE PLAN 

The white plan is designed to avoid overcrowded and congested hospital units. It is frequently triggered in conjunction with the “red plan” in order to cope with the inflow of victims evacuated by application of the latter.

 

 

PLan orsec

ORSEC PLAN

The Orsec plan is designed to overcome the problems due to insufficient means of rescue (overwhelmed rescue teams).

 

 

 

Training programs

SAMU 86 includes a CESU (emergency care teaching center) in which emergency care is explained and illustrated. Physicians, nurses and ambulance drivers are trained, in courses combining theory and practice.

“CENTRE 15” : What it has to offer

Since 2006, le SAMU 86 has availed itself of a new management and dispatch room.

Le SAMU has at its disposal :
Camion Samu

  • an autonomous telephone exchange system;
  • a computer terminal code 18) informing the SAMU of  every departure of a VSAV (rescue and recovery) vehicle;
  • a radio network.

 

The SMUR consists in :

  • hélico samuand a helicopter.
  • ground transport :
    • 3 medically equipped ambulances,
    • 1 light medical intervention vehicle

 

MEDICAL REGULATION OF THE SAMU

Pub samu

HOW DO YOU CALL 15 ?

When you contact the SAMU, the first person who answers you is a permanent medical regulation assistant (PARM). That person’s role is essential: It consists in pinpointing the location of the caller and the patient.

By means of key formalized questions, the PARM determines the type of request for emergency medical assistance and the degree of urgency; only following this person’s decision is the call relayed – or not relayed – to the regulating doctor.

At the same time, the PARM establishes the basic elements of the regulatory medical records known as “Affaire”.

The PARM notes all the data enabling the location of the victim(s) to be indicated.

The PARM then puts the caller on the line with the regulating doctor, to whom the computerized records have been instantaneously transmitted.
We utilize Centaur 15 ® software.
The regulating doctor asks a number of  essential questions before deciding on the type of response to be put into place. These questions are by no means a waste of time, quite on the contrary… The regulating doctor can give simple advice, ask a general practitioner to intervene, call for a “firefighting” ambulance, a private ambulance or a SMUR (mobile emergency service).

TO SUM UP, WHEN YOU DIAL 15

  • I INTRODUCE MYSELF :
    • My name is : last name, first name
    • I am at : address…. town/village…
    • I confirm my phone number : 06…
  • I EXPLAIN THE REASON FOR MY CALL : I explain what is happening..
  • I WAIT TO BE PUT ON LINE WITH THE REGULATING DOCTOR.
  • I ASK IF I CAN HANG UP.
  • I FOLLOW THE ADVICE GIVEN BY THE REGULATING DOCTOR.

WHEN SHOULD YOU DIAL 15 ?

■ When to dial 15 or 112 ?

In the event of an urgent medical need, or for important medical information (physician, dentist, on-duty pharmacist…).

In situations you do not consider urgent, first consult your attending physician. .

Express yourself clearly and calmly when addressing your interlocutors  (the PARM and the regulating doctor).

The time you spend on the phone is never pointless, does not delay intervention, and enables the SAMU to determine the best response to the emergency motivating your call.

Finally, listen attentively to the advice given by the regulating doctor on what you should and should not do before assistance arrives; take heed of what is counseled, and you can save a life.

■ When to dial 15 immediately? 

  • When you are in the presence of a person who is unconscious and does not spontaneously open his eyes, who does not react  when you speak to him, who fails to shake you hand when you ask him to do so…
  • When a person has difficulty breathing; rapid and noisy respiration accompanied by sweating, coughing, cyanosis (bluish discoloration), tendency to agitation or “drowsiness” — especially if the person is asthmatic, has a heart condition, or is in the middle of a meal. Asthma can be fatal in less than an hour.
  • When a person is no longer breathing.
  • When you find yourself in the presence of a person who is bleeding: Where is he bleeding? Do you know why? Try to stop the bleeding by pressing on the place from which blood is flowing.
  • When you find yourself in the presence of a person who has suffered burns.
  • When someone complains of chest pains (it can be an infarctus, and death may rapidly ensue).
  • When someone presents one of the 6 following signs =  CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT :
    • loss of motor coordination or strength of an arm, a leg, or an entire side of the body (hemiplegia), deformation of the face (deviation of the mouth);  ;
    • loss of feeling in an arm, a leg, the face or an entire side of the body;
    • sudden difficulty in finding one’s words and expressing oneself;
    • sudden balance disorder or difficulty walking;
    • sudden less of vision in one eye or blurred vision;
    • violent and intense headaches.

In case of chest pain 

  • Reassure and have the person seated (in case of respiratory difficulties)
  • Dial 15
  • Prevent the person from moving until a physician arrives.

In case of malaise

  • Have the person lie down with his legs raised,
  • If he loses consciousness, position him on one side, lying in a crouched or fetal position,
  • Dial 15

In case of respiratory difficulties 

  • Leave the person in the position where it is the least uncomfortable for him to breathe, most often seated,
  • Dial 15

In case of hemorrhage 

  • Stop the bleeding by pressinsg on the place of bleeding with a clean cloth,
  • Have the person lie down immediately,
  • Dial 15

In case of coma

  • Lie the person down on one side, in a crouched or fetal position,
  • Dial 15‬

In case of burns 

  • Reassure and cool off the burn by trickling water at 15° on the skin,
  • Dial 15 and continue to have the water trickle for 5 minutes.

In case of poisoning 

  • Make sure the victim does not eat or drink,
  • Do not try to make him vomit. Some products provoke even more severe lesions when the poison victim vomits,
  • Dial 15, giving information on the nature of the product, the quantity ingested and the time of ingestion.