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Emergency medicine: knowledge and agility that save lives
Published on 16/09/2025 - 12:59 | Updated
The Emergency Medicine specialty is relatively new and will complete 10 years in 2025 - Disclosure The loud siren, the bright lights, and the swiftness with which the ambulance passes through the gates of one of Latin America's largest emergency rooms set the tone: this is another life-or-death situation. Emergency physicians are the first responders to the most serious cases, such as victims of traffic accidents and urban violence, and they account for about 7% of these cases. Currently, Souza Aguiar Municipal Hospital (HMSA) handles, on average, more than 9 urgent and emergency care cases per month, with ten emergency physicians in the red room and eight residents training in the specialty.
The specialty of Emergency Medicine is relatively new and will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2025. Its role seeks to promote change in healthcare systems. Just as family and community health physicians organize outpatient care, emergency physicians work to organize hospital care. They can be considered a generalist, whose goal is not to treat all of a patient's needs, but to gather the necessary knowledge to remove them from the acute phase and refer them to the appropriate specialist.
"There's a huge need to train these professionals so we can have specialized people to care for patients on the worst day of their lives. This is a matter we take very seriously and responsibly. Today, the city of Rio de Janeiro has this pioneering program, investing in Emergency Medicine as a public health strategy. The seed is being planted to promote change in Rio's emergency departments," emphasized Daniel Schubert, coordinator of the Souza Aguiar emergency service and professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).
Francisco Eduardo Silva, supervisor of the Emergency Medicine residency program, routine general surgery service at HMSA and professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), cites the importance of training doctors who complete their residency in this specialty at HMSA:
"Our residents make a difference in the Red Room, as well as working in other areas of the hospital complex. And I can say that today we have the most comprehensive medical residency program in the state of Rio," he said, having been responsible for establishing the service and implementing the unit's residency program in 2022.
It was at the hands of an experienced doctor that 52-year-old helicopter pilot and prison officer Neilson Santana received the swift and precise care that saved his life. It was Saturday morning, November 2, 2024. Neilson had just finished work and was heading home when he was involved in a serious car accident on the Rio-Niterói Bridge. He was admitted to the hospital with a head injury and massive blood loss.
"Although he arrived awake, after a few minutes he began to decompensate, and we identified hemorrhagic shock. The necessary maneuvers were performed to help him respond and normalize his parameters, but he decompensated again, requiring intubation and a blood bag," said Dr. Sheila Nagliati, a routine emergency physician in the Red Room.
The patient remained under their care for 24 hours, until he was able to be transferred to a private unit.
Neilson remembers the accident, the initial care given on the bridge, and his arrival at HMSA. After that, he only remembers waking up in another hospital days later. He attributes the favorable outcome to the work of the Red Room team.
"I have no doubt: coming to Souza Aguiar, which is a major emergency room, was the best thing. It was decisive. I arrived quickly, and inside the Red Room, I was also seen quickly. It was crucial. Even with my bad luck, I was lucky: I got a second chance. I'm grateful to the teams who treated me."
Doctor Sheila talks about her love for the SUS and leaves a message for future emergency physicians:
"I'm a daughter of the SUS (Unified Health System). My academic background is in the public sector, and the place that makes me happiest about working is the SUS. Here at Souza, we offer specialized emergency care; every day we strive to change the outcome of many stories. My message to future emergency physicians is: keep going, be steadfast, you're on the right path. And remember the premise: anyone, anytime, anywhere. We are ready to serve you."
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