ATLS : advanced trauma life support : student course manual

The ATLS® Program was developed to teach doctors one safe, reliable method for assessing and initially managing the trauma patient. The course teaches an organized approach for evaluation and management of seriously injured patients and offers a foundation of common knowledge for all members of the trauma team. The emphasis is on the critical "first hour" of care, focusing on initial assessment, lifesaving intervention, reevaluation, stabilization, and, when needed, transfer to a trauma center. This publication was written for use in ATLS® Student Courses and is updated approximately every four years. CHAPTER 1 Initial Assessment and Management 2  SKILL STATION I: Initial Assessment and Management 23 CHAPTER 2 Airway and Ventilatory Management 30  SKILL STATION II: Airway and Ventilatory Management 50  SKILL STATION III: Cricothyroidotomy 58 CHAPTER 3 Shock 62  SKILL STATION IV: Shock Assessment and Management 82  SKILL STATION V: Venous Cutdown (Optional Station) 92 CHAPTER 4 Thoracic Trauma 94  SKILL STATION VI: X-Ray Identification of Thoracic Injuries 113  SKILL STATION VII: Chest Trauma Management 118 CHAPTER 5 Abdominal and Pelvic Trauma 122  SKILL STATION VIII: Focused Assessment Sonography in Trauma (FAST) 141  SKILL STATION IX: Diagnostic Peritoneal Lavage (Optional) 145 CHAPTER 6 Head Trauma 148  SKILL STATION X: Head and Neck Trauma: Assessment and Management 170 CHAPTER 7 Spine and Spinal Cord Trauma 174  SKILL STATION XI: X-Ray Identification of Spine Injuries 194  SKILL STATION XII: Spinal Cord Injury Assessment and Management 199 CHAPTER 8 Musculoskeletal Trauma 206  SKILL STATION XIII: Musculoskeletal Trauma: Assessment and Management 224 CHAPTER 9 Thermal Injuries 230 CHAPTER 10 Pediatric Trauma 246 CHAPTER 11 Geriatric Trauma 272 CHAPTER 12 Trauma in Pregnancy and Intimate Partner Violence 286 CHAPTER 13 Transfer to Definitive Care 298 APPENDICES 309 INDEX 355 This ninth edition represents the latest in evidence based care for the injured. The course materials were thoroughly vetted by a group of international experts and the content was vigorously debated for both its scientific merit and practical application. The result is a vibrant offering for health care providers across the world who seek an easily remembered framework to care for patients with complex injuries.