The American College of Surgeons (ACS) was founded to improve the care of surgical patients, and it has long been a leader in establishing and maintaining the high quality of surgical practice in North America. In accordance with that role, the ACS Committee on Trauma (COT) has worked to establish guidelines for the care of injured patients.

Accordingly, the COT sponsors and contributes to the continued development of the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Program. The ATLS Student Course does not present new concepts in the field of trauma care; rather, it teaches established treatment methods. A systematic, concise approach to the early care of trauma patients is the hallmark of the ATLS Program.

This Ninth Edition was developed for the ACS by members of the ATLS Committee and the ACS COT, other individual Fellows of the College, members of the international ATLS community, and nonsurgical consultants to the Committee who were selected for their special competence in trauma care and their expertise in medical education. (Please see the listing at the end of the Preface and the Acknowledgements section for names and affiliations of these individuals.) The COT believes that those individuals who are responsible for caring for injured patients will find the information extremely valuable. The principles of patient care presented in this manual may also be beneficial for the care of patients with nontrauma-related diseases.

New to this Edition

This Ninth Edition of the Advanced Trauma Life Support Student Course Manual reflects several changes designed to enhance the educational content and its visual presentation.

Content Updates

All chapters were rewritten and revised to ensure clear coverage of the most up-to-date technical content, which is also represented in updated references. New to this edition are:

• Concept of balanced resuscitation
• Emphasis on the pelvis as a source of blood loss
• Use of more advanced airway techniques for the diffcult airway
• Optional DPL and pericardiocentesis
• New FAST Skill Station
• New multiple-choice questions for pre-test and post-test
• Optional expanded content on heat injury
• New initial assessment scenarios
• Many new images
• New Instructor Course Content

Contents

Chapter 1 Initial Assessment and Management
Chapter 2 Airway and Ventilatory Management
Chapter 3 Shock
Chapter 4 Thoracic Trauma
Chapter 5 Abdominal and Pelvic Trauma
Chapter 6 Head Trauma
Chapter 7 Spine and Spinal Cord Trauma
Chapter 8 Musculoskeletal Trauma
Chapter 9 Thermal Injuries
Chapter 10 Pediatric Trauma
Chapter 11 Geriatric Trauma
Chapter 12 Trauma in Pregnancy and Intimate Partner Violence
Chapter 13 Transfer to Defnitive Care