Question

do you feel the concept of Golden hour in applicable to other disasters

Answer 1

Blog› The Golden Hour – Is it still relevant?

The Golden Hour – Is it still relevant?

Blog overview

Friday August 9, 2013

Just this week I had a great discussion with a trauma doctor on the ‘Golden Hour’; it is a concept that is very familiar to most rescuers.

The Golden Hour states that we have sixty minutes from the point of injury until we shouldbe delivering our casualty to definitive care. It is important to understand that definitive care, for the most seriously injured, is actually the operating theatre.



I have long held the belief that from a medical point of view, the concept of saying ‘ONE HOUR’ cannot surely apply to every casualty, and the medical relevance of the concept will always be a point for debate.

What is widely agreed however, is that unnecessary delays are not good for your casualty; whether that delay comes in initial response, extrication or onward transportation, every effort should be made to reduce on scene times where possible.

So, from a technical rescue point of view, I still find the concept has some relevance. Within the golden hour, the technical rescue is allocated 20 minutes (or less) to stabilize, disentangle and extricate the casualty, and I think that this still serves as an excellent guide.