Conference Medical Emergencies in Cycling (MECC)

Medicine of Cycling offers a Medical Emergencies in Cycling Course – MECC as part of our annual CME conference in Colorado Springs, CO every summer.  The hands-on activity is designed primarily for physicians and other health care professionals that are unfamiliar with emergency care and procedures.  Team physicians, emergency medicine specialists, trauma surgeons and orthopedists provide instruction and hands-on training for dealing with recently injured cyclists.  In the future, we plan to offer a few courses each year in various US locations.  The MECC’s will likely coincide with pro cycling events.

The MECC is limited to 20 participants and is broken into six sessions.  Each session is conducted  at a “station” through which attendees rotate.  No one station has more than four participants and instruction is detailed, hands-on and very personal.   The stations include: Airway, CNS, Orthopedic Trauma, Rider Down, Road Rash and Thoracic.

The Airway session teaches participants how to manage oral debris and occlusion, finger sweep, jaw thrust, indications and usage of nasal and oral airways, bag-valve-mask and intubation in the field including neck injury.

The CNS session encompasses TBI, concussion, and spine injuries.  Participants learn how to diagnose and evaluate skull and brain injuries, perform a spine exam, briefly evaluate concussion symptoms and immobilize an injury.  Participants also learn indications for CT and transfer, intubation and the Glasgow coma scale.

The Orthopedic Trauma session includes pelvis, femur, and tib-fib fracture.  Participants learn how to examine, splint. image, and treat pelvis and long-bone fractures.  They will also learn about reduction of dislocation, risks of neurovascular compromise and compartment syndrome including timing of procedures.

The Road Rash/soft tissue session focuses on on the go wound care and issues with moving the peleton.  Participants learn about cleaning and dressing wounds, exigencies of treating and moving patients, the use of dressings and topical wound care.

The Rider Down session is a simulated accident with multiple injuries where participants learn prioritization, scene management and team leadership.

The Thoracic session includes the diagnosis and treatment of tension pneumothorax.  Participants learn indications and use of pneumo catheters including tube thoracostomy.

The MECC concludes with an evaluation of the course.

The course offers CME for physicians.

MECC Schedule - subject to change