Mercia Accident Rescue Service (or MARS) is a BASICS affiliated charity operation based on providing a fast-response, advanced medical team to back up the emergency services of the

English counties The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpos ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

and

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

. The charity aims to provide an organisational framework within which practitioners can be properly trained and equipped to provide prehospital care, its work is supported by local fundraising. MARS is staffed by a team of 11 doctors and two advanced clinical practitioners. MARS responders assist at serious incidents such as road traffic collisions, industrial accidents, drownings, assaults, and critically unwell medical patients.

Equipment Carried

The typical equipment carried by a MARS responder includes: *Basic, intermediate and advanced airway: OP, NP,

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, endotracheal tubes, Surgical cricothyroidotomy kits. *Ventilatory support with ETCO₂ monitoring: Bag-Valve-Mask, pressure control, portable ventilator. *Circulation control: IV access, EZ-IO (intraosseus access) *Control of bleeding: Torniquets and haemostatic agents, nasal haemostats and dental blocks. *Surgical equipment to perform;

thoracostomy A thoracostomy is a small incision of the chest wall, with maintenance of the opening for drainage. It is most commonly used for the treatment of a pneumothorax. This is performed by physicians, paramedics, and nurses usually via needle thoracos ...

thoracotomy A thoracotomy is a surgical procedure that involves cutting open the chest wall to gain access into the pleural cavity, It is mostly performed by specialist cardiothoracic surgeons, although emergency physicians or paramedics occasionally also ...

amputation Amputation is the removal of a Limb (anatomy), limb or other body part by Physical trauma, trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as cancer, malign ...

*Diagnostic equipment to measure: BP, ETCO2,

SpO2 Oxygen saturation is the fraction of oxygen-saturated haemoglobin relative to total haemoglobin (unsaturated + saturated) in the blood. The human body requires and regulates a very precise and specific balance of oxygen in the blood. Normal art ...

, Blood sugar, point of care ultrasound machine *A range of medications to provide

sedation Sedation is the reduction of irritability or agitation by administration of sedative drugs, generally to facilitate a medical procedure or diagnostic procedure. Examples of drugs which can be used for sedation include isoflurane, diethyl ether, ...

and analgesia

Notable Individuals

*Prof Gavin Perkins - Consultant in Critical Care Medicine / Clinical Academic *Mr Richard Steyn - Past chairman of BASICS / Consultant Thoracic Surgeon / Honorary Associate Professor *Dr Malcolm Russell MBE *Mr Andrew Thurgood - First Consultant Nurse in prehospital emergency medicine in the UK

References

{{reflist Rescue agencies

Equipment Carried

Notable Individuals

See also

References