Medicine at mass gatherings: current progress of preparedness of emergency medical services and disaster medical response during 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games from the perspective of the Academic Consortium (AC2020).

Mass gatherings are events characterized by "the concentration of people at a specific location for a specific purpose over a set period of time that have the potential to strain the planning and response resources of the host country or community." Previous reports showed that, as a result of the concentration of people in the limited area, injury and illness occurred due to several factors. The response plan should aim to provide timely medical care to the patients and to reduce the burden on emergency hospitals, and to maintain a daily emergency medical services system for residents of the local area. Although a mass gathering event will place a significant burden on the local health-care system, it can provide the opportunity for long-term benefits of public health-care and improvement of daily medical service systems after the end of the event. The next Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in Tokyo, during which mass gatherings will occur on a daily basis in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. The Academic Consortium on Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Medical Response Plan during the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020 (AC2020) was launched 2016, consisting of 28 academic societies in Japan, it has released statements based on assessments of medical risk and publishing guidelines and manuals on its website. This paper outlines the issues and countermeasures for emergency and disaster medical care related to the holding of this big event, focusing on the activities of the academic consortium.

Development of Mass-casualty Life Support-CBRNE (MCLS-CBRNE) in Japan.

This report outlines the need for the development of an advanced course in mass-casualty life support (MCLS) and introduces the course content. The current problems with education on disasters involving chemical agents, biological agents, radiation/nuclear attacks, or explosives (CBRNE) in Japan are presented. This newly developed "MCLS-CBRNE" program was created by a Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (Tokyo, Japan) research group based on these circumstances. Modifications were then made after a trial course. Training opportunities for relevant organizations to learn how to act at a CBRNE disaster site currently are lacking. The developed course covers initial responses at a disaster site. This one-day training course comprises lectures, three tabletop simulations, and practical exercises in pre-decontamination triage and post-decontamination triage. With regard to field exercises conducted to date, related organizations have experienced difficulties in understanding each other and adapting their approaches. Tabletop simulations provide an opportunity for participants to learn how organizations working on-site, including fire, police, and medical personnel, act with differing goals and guiding principles. This course appears useful as a means for relevant organizations to understand the importance of developing common guidelines. The MCLS-CBRNE training is proposed to support CBRNE disaster control measures during future events. Anan H , Otomo Y , Kondo H , Homma M , Koido Y , Morino K , Oshiro K , Harikae K , Akasaka O . Development of mass-casualty life support-CBRNE (MCLS-CBRNE) in Japan. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(5):547-550.

How, when, and where have rental automated external defibrillators been used in Japan?

OBJECTIVE: Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been rented in various places in Japan. When rental AEDs are placed in locations where the probability of sudden cardiac arrest is high and permanent placement of AEDs is difficult, the possibility of improving survival rates might increase. In this preliminary study, we investigated how, when, and where rental AEDs have been used in Japan to clarify their characteristics when used in actual situations and to facilitate better usage in the future. METHODS: We investigated the total number of AEDs rented, the duration of rental of each AED, the total number of AEDs rented monthly, the rental sites, the frequency and location of use, the number of defibrillations, and the time to defibrillation success for devices rented between January 2008 and December 2010 by a single company in Japan. RESULTS: The number of AEDs rented annually was 590 at 391 sites in 2008, 767 at 465 sites in 2009, and 847 at 477 sites in 2010. More AEDs were rented during the summer. The devices were actually used on 17 individuals, of whom 2 individuals (at a beach and a marathon) underwent defibrillation, and 1 individual (at a marathon) survived. CONCLUSION: Rental AEDs can play an important role in emergency cases occurring during seasonal and temporary outdoor events. The provision of rental AEDs in locations where permanent AEDs would be unfeasible may offer a useful strategy for efficiently improving survival rates in the future.