Advances in emergency medicine research in India: abstracts from the EMCON 2014 international conference

Within India, Emergency Medicine (EM) is a rapidly evolving and expanding specialty. EM has received increased recognition by the national government the past few years with the accreditation of training positions through the Medical Council of India and the National Board of Examinations. These recent advances have been gained through more than a decade of efforts by the Society for Emergency Medicine, India (SEMI) along with partner organizations such as the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM), the American Academy for Emergency Medicine in India (AAEMI) and the Global Academy of Emergency Medicine (GAEM). SEMI sponsored India’s premier Emergency Medicine conference, EMCON 2014, in Mumbai from November 6-9, 2014. This meeting attracted over 1,200 delegates both nationally and internationally. The importance of this meeting was highlighted by the advancement of clinical research now being conducted by EM physicians across India. Both AAEMI and GAEM sponsored the research section at EMCON 2014. Over 170 abstracts were submitted, and fourteen of the top papers from the conference are presented as a supplement in this journal. As the specialty develops, new concerns are being raised and brought to the forefront. Many of these issues are widespread to emergency medicine globally, but many are also matters that are endemic to India and can now be addressed. Pre-Hospital Care and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) The specialty of EM is expanding beyond the borders of the EDs in India into the pre-hospital care setting. Emergency physicians are becoming more involved in the planning and protocols involved in the transport of critically ill patients by medical providers. The abstract by Bharati, Taraphdhar and Choudhary shows the need for more regional centralization of pre-hospital services to provide better care for patients. Taraphdhar and Reddy present the efficacy of using Isoprenaline for patients in complete heart block who are transported by ambulance.