001 INTRODUCTION

P. E. Olliffe. GP Clinical Fellow, Cardiff

Birmingham 2003 was my first experience of a BASICS conference. Being relatively new to the field of pre-hospital care, and a new member of BASICS, I was apprehensive, but my positive experiences on the Immediate Care Course reassured me. The BASICS conference far exceeded my expectations and I would recommend it to new and established members alike. The comprehensive and varied programme catered for everyone and held our interest throughout the long days. Particularly informative were the presentations highlighting new areas of research and development in immediate care medicine, resuscitation and car safety devices (or should that be “rescuer injury inflictors”). Workshops provided an opportunity to learn new skills and use new pieces of equipment, as well as providing a forum for debating contentious issues and management dilemmas. For those with the spare cash, and a passion for gadgets, the frequent coffee breaks provided the opportunity to peruse the trade stands for the latest in medical equipment. Overall, the pace was lively and the discussions provoked were doubly so. It was the three opening presentations (“Pre-hospital care in Malta”, “Heat illness – experience from the Gulf” and “BASICS in the Arctic”) however, that really set the atmosphere for the conference. They encapsulated, for me, the spirit of BASICS itself: friendship and generosity; an eagerness to share and to facilitate learning; a striving for achievement and a hunger for adventure and new horizons. I certainly found all this and more in the people that welcomed me so warmly into an organisation that I am looking forward to being a part of.

Free paper abstracts

002 PREHOSPITAL USE OF LARYNGEAL MASK AIRWAYS IN THE WARWICKSHIRE AMBULANCE SERVICE: TWO YEARS’ EXPERIENCE

K. Pattinson*, I. Todd, J. Thomas, M. Wyse. *University Hospitals NHS Trust Coventry; Warwickshire and Warwickshire Ambulance Service

The Laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is a safe and popular method of airway control. Its …