Düsseldorf University Clinic: Employees conduct 'vast assault on casualties' under simulated scenarios
University Clinic Düsseldorf Demonstrates Emergency Preparedness in Major Exercise
The University Clinic Düsseldorf (UKD), one of the most significant medical centres in North Rhine-Westphalia, recently showcased its emergency preparedness during a large-scale exercise known as the MASE (Massenanfall von Verletzten) event.
Located in Düsseldorf, the UKD is renowned for its intensive interdisciplinary cooperation of 60 clinics and institutes, providing care for over 45,000 inpatients and 270,000 outpatients annually. The clinic's close connection between its clinical work and research ensures the safe application of new methods.
In the simulated exercise, a fire with an explosion occurred at the MNR clinic, the tallest building on campus at the university. Numerous people suffered severe injuries, with some simulated patients depicting heavy bleeding, splinters in their backs, burns, and arterial injuries. The Central Emergency Room was staffed by 50 employees who had to provide care for around 30 patients for about two hours.
The UKD's teams from the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Region Düsseldorf and the Jugendrotkreuz Düsseldorf worked together seamlessly during the exercise, demonstrating their high willingness to engage with the artificially created stressful situation. The good interaction among staff members was highlighted throughout the event.
The UKD regularly trains for emergency situations, including incidents like the MNR clinic event, through structured in-situ simulations and crisis management workshops integrated into their training programs. These trainings focus on practical crisis resource management, airway and procedure skills, and emergency anesthesiology, helping medical staff and students to practice rapid and coordinated responses under realistic conditions.
The anesthesiology preclinical elective at the UKD includes an "Airway and Procedures Workshop" where participants apply difficult airway algorithms and engage in in-situ simulation workshops that focus on crisis resource management and managing common intraoperative emergencies. Such simulation-based training is essential for preparing clinicians to act effectively in time-critical emergency scenarios like the MNR clinic incident.
The goal of the MASE exercise was to strengthen competencies and learn from potential mistakes for a possible real case. The exercise leaders at the UKD were very satisfied with the performance of the participants. The event aimed to practice the alarm process, setup of care capacities, and review the current guidelines and checklists.
This approach aligns with best practices in emergency preparedness—regular use of high-fidelity simulations to enhance team coordination, decision making, and technical skills. While there is no direct public detail on specific MNR clinic drills at University Clinic Düsseldorf, these workshops and simulation-based trainings represent the kind of regular, multidisciplinary emergency training commonly employed at major university hospitals in Germany.
At University Clinic Düsseldorf, the emphasis on scientific research in health and wellness was evident during the MASE exercise, as the clinic used simulation-based training to prepare medical staff for emergency situations, such as the MNR clinic incident. This approach to emergency preparedness also encompassed the study of various medical conditions, with a focus on crisis resource management, airway and procedure skills, and emergency anesthesiology in the anesthesiology preclinical elective.
