Advanced Life Support (ALS): Trauma Module

The Trauma Module describes the systematic evaluation of a trauma patient including performing initial lifesaving maneuvers. This course includes assessment, approaches, and treatment of systematic evaluation of a trauma patient, key concerns during an assessment, adjuncts to the primary trauma survey, airway obstruction maneuvers and securing the airway, identifying shock and providing treatment, hemodynamic instability, and hemorrhage control, trauma resuscitation, permissive hypotension, massive transfusions, traumatic brain injury, burn injuries, and musculoskeletal injuries.

The intended audiences for this course are ED Physicians (not recently taken ATLS), ED Nurses, Paramedics, and NP/APN.

After successfully completing this course, students should be able to:

• Describe the systematic evaluation of a trauma patient including performing initial life-saving maneuvers.

• Explain how to ensure that a trauma patient has a secure and functional airway.

• Describe the pathophysiology of shock in trauma.

• Identify sources of hemodynamic instability and perform life-saving maneuvers for initial hemorrhage control.

• Describe the management of trauma patients with traumatic central nervous system injury, burn injuries, and fractures.

• Explain the indications and contraindications of resuscitative thoracotomy in case of traumatic cardiac arrest.