ATLS®
Advanced Trauma Life Support
10th Edition
Update
Initial
Assessment
•1 litre of fluid, judicious approach
•Focus on massive transfusion
protocols
•Tranexamic acid
•Coagulopathy
•Canadian C Spine Rule
•Trauma team
Initial Assessment
One liter of fluid,
judicious approach
A bolus of isotonic solution 1 L for adults and
20 mL/kg for pediatric < 40 kg may be
administered judiciously, as aggressive
resuscitation before control of bleeding has
been demonstrated to increase mortality and
morbidity.
If a patient is unresponsive to initial crystalloid
therapy, he should receive a blood transfusion.
Aggressive and continued volume
resuscitation is not a substitute for definitive
control of hemorrhage.
Airway
and
Ventilation
Airway and Ventilation
•RSI changed to Drug Assisted
Intubation
•Video-laryngoscopy
•Trauma team
Shock
O+
Shock
•Class of haemorrhage table
amended: Base excess
•Early use of blood and blood
products
•Management of coagulopathy
•Tranexamic acid
•Trauma team
ATLS classification of
hypovolemic shock
*
Early use of blood and
blood products
Early resuscitation with blood and blood
products must be considered in patients
with evidence of class III and IV
hemorrhage.
Early administration of blood products at a
low ratio of packed red blood cells to
plasma and platelets can prevent the
development of coagulopathy and
thrombocytopenia.
Management of coagulopathy
Uncontrolled blood loss can occur in patients
taking antiplatelet or anticoagulant medications.
Prevention
• Obtain medication list as soon as possible.
• Administer reversal agents as soon as possible.
• Where available, monitor coagulation with
thromboelastography (TEG) or rotational
thromboelastometry (ROTEM).
• Consider administering platelet transfusion,
even with normal platelet count.
Tranexamic acid (TXA)
European and American military studies
demonstrate improved survival when
TXA is administered over 10 minutes
within 3 hours of injury.
When bolused in the field, follow up
infusion TAX 1 gram over 8 hours in
the hospital.
Thoracic
Trauma
Thoracic Trauma
• Life Threatening Injuries
• Flail chest out
• Tracheobronchial injury now in
• Tension pneumothorax
• Needle thoracocentesis
- 5th ICS MAL for adult
- UNCHANGED 2nd ICS for child
• 28-32 Fr chest drain for hemothorax (not 36-40 Fr)
• Algorithm for circulatory arrest approach
• Aortic rupture management with Beta Blocker
• Trauma team
Life-threatening injuries
during primary survey
Airway
• Airway Obstruction
• Tracheobronchial Tree Injury
Breathing
• Tension Pneumothorax
• Open Pneumothorax
Circulation
• Massive Hemothorax
• Cardiac Tamponade
• Traumatic Circulatory Arrest
Tension pneumothorax
• When ultrasound is available, tension
pneumothorax can be diagnosed using an
extended FAST (eFAST): seashore, bar code,
or stratosphere sign in M mode.
• Needle decompression:
Recent evidence supports placing the large,
over-the-needle catheter at the fifth interspace,
slightly anterior to the midaxillary line
• 28-32 Fr chest tube for hemothorax (not 36-
40Fr)
Algorithm for
management of
traumatic
circulatory arrest.
ECM = external cardiac
massage;
OTI = orotracheal
intubation;
IVL = intravenous line;
IOL = intraosseous line.
Aortic rupture management
with beta blocker
If no contraindications exist, heart rate
control with a short-acting beta blocker
(esmolol) to a goal heart rate < 80 bpm
and blood pressure control with a goal
MAP 60-70 mmHg is recommended.
Abdominal
and Pelvic
Trauma
Abdominal and
Pelvic Trauma
•Palpation of prostate gland no
longer recommended for urethral
injury
•Flow chart for pelvic fracture with
hemorrhage amended
•Trauma team
Pelvic fractures and hemorrhagic
shock management algorithm
Head
Trauma
Head Trauma
•Detailed guidance on SBP
management
•Classification – ‘mild’ head
trauma
•Anticoagulation reversal guidance
•Seizure prophylaxis
•Trauma team
Detailed guidance
on SBP management
Maintain SBP at ≥ 100 mmHg for patients
50-69 years or at ≥ 110 mmHg for
patients 15-49 years or older than 70
years; this may decrease mortality and
improve outcomes (III).
Goals of treatment
of brain injury
Clinical Parameters
• Systolic BP ≥ 100 mmHg
• Temperature 36–38°C
Monitoring Parameters
• CPP ≥ 60 mm Hg*
• ICP 5–15 mm Hg*
• PbtO2 ≥ 15 mm Hg*
• Pulse oximetry ≥ 95%
Laboratory Parameters
• Glucose 80–180 mg/dL
• Hemoglobin ≥ 7 g/dl
• INR ≤ 1.4
• Na 135–145 meq/dL
• PaO2 ≥ 100 mmHg
• PaCO2 35–45 mmHg
• pH 7.35–7.45
• Platelets ≥ 75 X10
3
/mm
3
*Unlikely to be available in the ED or in low-resource settings
Data from ACS TQIP Best Practices in the Management of Traumatic Brain Injury.
ACS Committee on Trauma, January 2015.
Anticoagulation reversal guidance
Seizure prophylaxis
Prophylactic use of phenytoin (Dilantin) or
valproate (Depakote) is not
recommended for preventing late
posttraumatic seizures (PTS). Phenytoin
is recommended to decrease the
incidence of early PTS (within 7 days of
injury), when the overall benefit is felt to
outweigh the complications associated
with such treatment. However, early PTS
has not been associated with worse
outcomes (IIA).
Spine and
Spinal Cord
Trauma
Spine and
Spinal Cord Trauma
•C-spine protection changed to
‘Restriction of spinal motion’
•New myotome diagram
•Canadian C-Spine Rule (CCR) and
NEXUS Criteria
•Trauma team
Key Myotomes.
Myotomes are used
to evaluate the level
of motor function
Musculo-
Skeletal
Trauma
Musculoskeletal
Trauma
•Weight based IV antibiotic regime
•Highlighting risk factor of bilateral
femur fractures
•Trauma team
Highlighting risk factor of
bilateral femur fractures
Compared with patients with unilateral
femur fractures, patients with bilateral
femur fractures are at higher risk for
significant blood loss, severe associated
injuries, pulmonary complications,
multiple organ failure, and death.
Thermal
Injuries
Thermal Injuries
•2 ml/kg × weight × % burn adults
•3 ml/kg × weight × % burn children
•Fluid titrated to urine output
•Trauma team
Paediatric
Trauma
Paediatric Trauma
•Needle thoracocentesis
UNCHANGED 2nd ICS
•Limiting crystalloid resuscitation
•Pediatric Emergency Care Applied
Research Network (PECARN)
Criteria for Head CT
•Trauma team
Pediatric Mass
Transfusion Protocol
Initial 20 mL/kg bolus of isotonic crystalloid
followed by weight-based blood product
resuscitation with 10-20 mL/kg of RBC
and 10-20 mL/kg of FFP and platelets.
Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network
(PECARN) Criteria for Head CT. Suggested CT algorithm for
children younger than 2 years (A) and for those aged 2 years
and older (B) with GCS scores of 14-15 after head trauma.*
Identification of children at very low risk of clinically important brain injuries
after head trauma: a prospective cohort study. Lancet 374: 2009; 1160–1170.)
Transfer to
Definitive Care
Transfer to Definitive Care
•Specific mention of avoiding CT in
primary hospital
•SBAR template for communication
•Trauma Team
Avoiding CT
in primary hospital
Do not perform diagnostic procedures
(e.g., DPL or CT) that do not change the
plan of care.
However, procedures that treat or stabilize
an immediately life-threatening condition
should be rapidly performed.
ABC-SBAR template for
transfer of trauma patients
• Airway, Breathing, and Circulation problems
identified and interventions performed
• Situation: patient name, age, referring facility,
referring physician name, reporting nurse name,
indication for transfer, IV access site, IV fluid and rate,
other interventions completed
• Background: event history, AMPLE assessment,
blood products, medications given (date and time),
imaging performed, splinting
• Assessment: vital signs, pertinent physical exam
findings, patient response to treatment
• Recommendation: transport mode, level of transport
care, medication intervention during transport, needed
assessments and interventions
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