By Vivek, Chandigarh, July 20, 2011: “A large number of precious lives can be saved if basic trauma care is made part of the school curriculum so that people get trained right from their student days on what assistance they can immediately give to an accident victim,” stated Dr. Sandeep Mohindra, Associate Prof. Neuro Surgery, PGIMER, Chandigarh while addressing members of Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik at Hotel Sip n’ Dine last evening. Dr. Mohindra was talking on ‘The First Golden Hour after an Accident.’ “In the case of head injuries, just about 10% of the deaths are because of the primary injury, while 90% are because of secondary reasons, which could include blocking of airways resulting in the brain being starved of oxygen. Especially in case of the brain, the treatment given in the first 60 minutes is very critical and that is why it is called the Golden Hour. After taking care of the basic ABC (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) of trauma care at the site of the accident, one must move the victim to the nearest hospital or health centre as quickly as possible where a trained neuro specialist can evaluate the condition of the victim.”