Managing Road Traffic Accidents Through Emergency and Critical Care

Managing Road Traffic Accidents Through Emergency and Critical Care

16 June, 2025

Every second counts when it comes to managing road traffic accidents. Whether it's a minor collision or a major crash, the aftermath can be life-altering. Road traffic accidents have become a significant public health concern in India, particularly in urban centres such as Calicut. While road safety awareness has improved, the growing number of vehicles and population density often leads to frequent accidents. This is where the role of trauma and critical care becomes crucial.

Trauma and Critical care in Calicut, especially at Sunrise Hospital, plays a decisive role in saving lives and minimising long-term health complications.

At Sunrise Hospital, we have the best team of trained and experienced doctors and nurses who provide emergency, lifesaving care, stabilizing patients in these critical "golden minutes" after an accident.

What is Trauma and Critical Care, and Why is it Important for Families to Understand it?

Trauma and critical care represents the emergency medical practice used to treat serious injury or life-threatening illness, typically due to an accident. Trauma care is typically in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and always involves close monitoring, specialized treatment, and close collaboration among healthcare professionals.

Families need to recognize trauma and critical care because during a crisis, knowing what to expect can help reduce distress when making decisions. Critical care is not just emergency care. It is a holistic and multimodal approach, looking out for the immediate and long-term health of the individual being cared for. For families, it can mean the difference between hopelessness and hope, a long recovery process and a less complicated route to recovery.

Why Is Trauma and Critical Care So Important in Managing Road Traffic Accidents?

In the chaos following an accident, immediate action saves lives. Trauma care encompasses immediate resuscitation procedures to secure airways, to control bleeding, and to stabilise vital organs. Critical care, which follows the initial response, includes continuous monitoring and the unique support for managing complication such as organ failure, infection, and internal injury.

Calicut being highly trafficked by road, there are reasons for trauma cases to be subject to exactly that care. Sunrise Hospital boasts advanced medical gear, and international standards for trauma and critical care in Calicut. From pre-hospital care, to emergency transport, to surgical treatment, to rehabilitation, even in trauma care, every facet of these sequential steps are firmly perfected.

How Do We Treat Trauma Patients at Sunrise Hospital?

Managing trauma patients is a process that is systematic and methodical. Sunrise Hospital follows the protocols of universally accepted guidelines:

First, our emergency response activates and ensures airway protection and presented level of consciousness. We prevent spinal injury by immobilising the cervical spine, followed by breathing, circulation to assist in shock prevention, and stopping bleeding. During all of this, we are performing a neurological assessment and vital signs.

When we arrive at the Intensive Care Unit, specially trained critical care experts take the lead, providing advanced life support and ongoing monitoring. We have the ability to perform haemodialysis, continuous renal replacement therapy, and in severe cases extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

At Sunrise Hospital, our trauma and critical care team consists of highly experienced professionals who have dedicated their careers to saving lives. Our team includes internationally trained intensivists, emergency physicians, trauma surgeons, and anaesthesiologists.Their collective expertise is what makes Sunrise Hospital the preferred choice for trauma and critical care in Calicut.

Why Is Sunrise Hospital the Best Option for Trauma and Critical Care in Calicut?

We believe that trauma care is more than just treatment; it's about restoring lives, reuniting families, and offering hope. At Sunrise Hospital, we ensure:

• Round-the-clock emergency and ICU services with skilled personnel available 24/7.

• A dedicated fleet of critical care ambulances equipped with advanced life support systems.

• Separate ICUs for trauma, surgery, paediatrics, neurology, and cardiology, each staffed with experienced teams.

• Access to high-end diagnostic tools such as portable X-rays, ECHOs, and ultrasound machines.

Our infrastructure matches international standards, allowing us to handle everything from road traffic injuries to complex polytrauma cases with efficiency and care.

Who Are the Experts at Sunrise Hospital?

Dr Keerthi VR

HOD - Critical Care Department

· MBBS, DNB (General Medicine)

· DrNB (Critical Care Medicine)

Currently doing

1 Fellowship in Clinical Toxicology (Accredited by The Indian College of Emergency Medicine- TICEM)

2 Fellowship in ECMO (accredited by the ECMO Society of India -ESOIs

Years of experience in critical care

• 4 and ½ years

Professional Record

• DrNB Critical Care Medicine (Pushpagiri Medical College hospital )Thiruvalla, Kerala

• Senior Resident in MDICU Iqraa Hospital, Calicut, Kerala (2 years)

• DrNB General Medicine Lourdes Hopsital, Kochi, Kerala

• Junior Resident in MDICU GKNMH,Coimbatore , Tamilnadu

• Coimbatore Medical College MBBS

Awards

Received an award for exemplary service in Emergency Life Support and saving a life of a Road traffic accident patient through timely action and prompt CPR and transfer to nearby hospital, in December 2021- Presented by IMA Kozhikode branch, Kozhikode medical college, Iqraa hospital, ASTER MIMS hospital – Kozhikode

Areas of interest:

BLS and ACLS, ARDS, Sepsis and Infectious diseases, Mechanical ventilation, Toxicology, Trauma, ECMO and End-of-life care

Thesis

• Done a study on "A PROSPECTIVE STUDY TO COMPARE THE EFFICACY OF MORTALITY PREDICTION OF ARTERIAL LACTATE WITH SOFA SCORING IN SEPTIC SHOCK PATIENTS ADMITTED IN MEDICAL ICU”- 2019

• Done a study on “END-OF-LIFE CARE PRACTICES IN A TERTIARY INTENSIVE CARE UNIT IN KERALA (SOUTH INDIA) - 2024

Dr. Vineeth N

Senior Specialist – Emergency Medicine

Department of Emergency Medicine, Sunrise Hospital

Professional Summary

Dr. Vineeth N is a dedicated and compassionate emergency physician with a strong commitment to critical care and medical education. His expertise spans across adult, paediatric, and neonatal resuscitation, trauma management, advanced airway procedures, and ultrasound-guided interventions. He aims to deliver timely, life-saving care in the most critical situations while maintaining empathy and professionalism.

Areas of Expertise

1. Adult, Paediatric & Neonatal Resuscitation
2. Trauma Resuscitation & Emergency Airway Management
3. Cardioversion & Defibrillation
4. Cricothyroidotomy, Retrograde Intubation
5. Pericardiocentesis
6. Arterial & Central Line Insertion
7. Emergency Ventilator & Oxygen Therapy Management
8. Chest Tube Insertion, Thoracocentesis, Paracentesis
9. Lumbar Puncture
10. I&D, Wound Debridement
11. Peripheral Nerve Blocks
12. Procedural Sedation
13. Bone Marrow Aspiration
14. Splint and Cast Application & Removal
15. Joint Dislocation Reduction
16. Emergency Immobilisation & Traction
17. NG/OG Tube Insertion
18. Intraosseous Infusion
19. Suprapubic and Urethral Catheterisation
20. Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS), ECHO, EFAST

Academic Qualifications

MBBS

DNB – Emergency Medicine

Fellowships (Currently Pursuing)

Fellowship in Clinical Toxicology (Accredited by The Indian College of Emergency Medicine - TICEM)

Fellowship in ECMO (Accredited by the ECMO Society of India - ESOI)

Certifications

Certified by the American Heart Association (AHA):

BLS (Basic Life Support) – Provider & Instructor

ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) – Provider & Instructor

PALS (Paediatric Advanced Life Support) – Provider & Instructor

ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support) – Provider

ASLS (Advanced Stroke Life Support) – Provider (certificate awaited)

TCF – Training Centre Faculty, AHA (from Navi Mumbai

Professional Experience

Senior Specialist – Emergency Medicine

ASTER MIMS Hospital, Calicut – May 2021 to Present

Assistant Surgeon – DHS

CHC, Porunnanore, Wayanad – Feb 2021 to Mar 2021

Consultant – Emergency Medicine

Almas Hospital, Kottakkal – Jun 2020 to Dec 2020

Casualty Medical Officer (Post-MBBS)

– Aug 2012 to Sep 2016

Experience

Over 5 years of hands-on experience in emergency and trauma care across multiple reputed hospitals.

Notable Achievements

HEARTBEAT Programme – Played an integral role in this mass CPR training initiative with the motto: "Save a hand with hands-only CPR".

Trained over 35,000 students in 8 hours in Kochi

Conducted in collaboration with IMA and AHA

Earned a Guinness World Record for the highest number of students trained in hands-only CPR within a limited timeframe

What Services Do We Offer at Sunrise Hospital to Support Critical Care Needs?

At Sunrise Hospital, Kulanada, we provide a comprehensive spectrum of trauma and critical care services aimed at delivering swift, effective, and compassionate treatment during medical emergencies. Our approach encompasses pre-hospital emergency care, rapid surgical interventions, advanced ICU management, and long-term rehabilitation — ensuring that every patient receives continuous care from the moment they arrive until their full recovery.

Our Critical Care Unit (CCU) is equipped with the latest life-support technologies and operates 24/7 under the supervision of a multidisciplinary team of intensivists, anaesthetists, critical care nurses, and allied health professionals. Each CCU bed is supported with advanced ventilators, multi-parameter monitoring systems, infusion pumps, and centralised telemetry for real-time patient tracking. The unit is designed to manage a wide range of critical conditions, including multi-organ failure, severe infections (such as sepsis), cardiac emergencies, respiratory distress, and complex post-operative recoveries.

Infection control is a cornerstone of our CCU protocols. We adhere to international hygiene and sterilisation standards, use negative-pressure isolation facilities when required, and follow stringent protocols to reduce hospital-acquired infections.

What sets us apart is our integrated recovery model, which incorporates not just medical stabilisation but also long-term wellness.

We offer:

Nutritional support tailored to the patient’s metabolic needs during recovery.

Physiotherapy and respiratory therapy to prevent complications like ventilator-associated pneumonia and aid quicker mobilisation.

Psychological counselling to address trauma, anxiety, or depression linked to critical illness.

Family support through medical social workers, who help loved ones understand the treatment process, prepare for transitions in care, and make informed decisions during emotionally charged situations.

Additionally, our Laparoscopic Surgery Unit enhances trauma care by providing minimally invasive surgical options for abdominal injuries, internal bleeding, and organ perforations. These procedures not only reduce surgical trauma but also lead to shorter hospital stays, faster healing, and significantly less post-operative discomfort — all critical in high-dependency cases.

Sunrise Hospital's CCU represents the very essence of modern critical care — technologically advanced, clinically competent, and deeply human in its approach.

Why Should You Contact Sunrise Hospital for Trauma and Critical Care in Calicut?

Choosing the right trauma and critical care facility can make all the difference during an emergency. At Sunrise Hospital, we combine medical expertise, advanced technology, and heartfelt compassion to offer the best care possible.

If you or a loved one ever finds yourself in need of emergency trauma care, know that Sunrise Hospital is just a call away. Your safety, comfort, and recovery are our top priorities.

About Sunrise Hospital – Your Partner in Healing and Recovery

Sunrise Hospital is Kerala’s fastest-growing healthcare network. We are recognised for our excellence in laparoscopic surgery, trauma care, and critical care medicine. Our patient-first philosophy ensures that every individual receives the attention and treatment they deserve. We welcome patients from across India and the globe, promising international standards of care, state-of-the-art technology, and personalised support every step of the way.

We bring smiles back to health. Because when it comes to your family, nothing less than the best will do.

1. Call us at: 0495 2707222
2. Email us at: enquiry@sunrisehospital.in