The increase in stabbings in Australia means training for performing surgery "on the street" has to keep up-do-date, an emergency physician says.
The rise in knife crime, which often involves wounds to the chest, poses new challenges for specialists dealing with frontline medical emergencies, Dr Stefan Mazur says.
That includes those working in emergency departments and the anaesthetists who have to prepare them for treatment in theatre.
Dr Mazur, from the South Australian Ambulance Service, was speaking on Circulation in trauma: from roadside to bedside, at an Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists meeting in Adelaide.
"We are seeing more injuries in the form of people who have been attacked with a knife," he said.
"These can be resource-heavy, complicated injuries."
He said the wound itself was not a good indicator for understanding the extent of injury.
Non-fatal wounds could look severe, while those that led to death can seem benign.
"The pre-hospital management is critical in preparing people for survival from these injuries," he said.
Pre-hospital specialists had to keep up-to-date with training for performing surgery "on the street" as well as for providing ventilation at the scene of the injury.
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