Patient safety comes under the spotlight for BSIR’s largest ever annual meeting

Submitted by Dr Timothy Bryant, session moderator and consultant interventional radiologist (IR), University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

With more than 950 delegates, November’s BSIR Annual Scientific Meeting was the biggest yet. Held in Liverpool, it focused on a theme of patient safety. To complement this theme, BSIR 2025 included a series of sessions on emergency IR treatment covering vascular, gastrointestinal and genitourinary emergencies, trauma and iatrogenic complications.

The major trauma session was well attended with a full auditorium and active participation from delegates. Consultant IR Dr Fiona Miller from King’s College Hospital, London, started with an overview of imaging in trauma, in particular the use of CT, which has become a prerequisite in all but the most severe
unstable cases. It is essential in documenting injuries and planning management in the trauma scenario.

This was followed by consultant IR Dr Thoraya Ammar, also from King’s College Hospital, giving an overview of the improvement in morbidity and mortality from trauma over the last 20 years following the introduction of major trauma centres, centralisation of expertise, improvement of imaging speed and access, as well as immediate access to theatre or IR theatre for early damage control. This included patient triage and identification of patients suitable for IR.

Consultant IR Dr Daniel Kearns from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust gave an entertaining talk about endovascular treatment of haemorrhage. There was reference to stent grafting in aortic injury, a technique that is life-saving and has revolutionised the management of thoracic aortic trauma where alternative treatment options are limited and high risk.

The final talk was given by consultant IR Dr Georgia Priona from The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and programme chair for the BSIR’s IOUK 2026 meeting, who delved further into IR management of solid organ injury looking at specifics both in terms of severity grading on imaging grounds and intervention.

In combination these talks gave an excellent overview of where we are now in terms of radiological trauma management and demonstrated how far this has progressed. Interdisciplinary decision making was highlighted, along with rapid access to all imaging and treatment options. This, alongside improvement in resuscitative management, has greatly improved outcomes in trauma.

Picture: Dr Fiona Miller gave an overview of imaging in trauma, in particular the use of CT.

Read this report on page 17 of the January 2026 issue of RAD Magazine.