Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)

About Course

Comprehensive Professional Development: An intensive, evidence-informed training program designed to enhance healthcare professionals’ clinical knowledge, critical decision-making, and practical competencies in trauma assessment, resuscitation, and emergency management.
Effective Emergency Response: Develops the ability to respond rapidly, systematically, and effectively to life-threatening traumatic injuries through timely interventions and evidence-informed clinical practices.
Competency-Based Education: Delivered by Canadian OTS, the program integrates theoretical knowledge with practical clinical applications, emphasizing systematic patient assessment, injury prioritization, and emergency stabilization.
Comprehensive Trauma Management: Covers essential clinical areas, including airway and cervical spine management, thoracic trauma, hemorrhage and shock, neurological injuries, abdominal and musculoskeletal trauma, and special patient populations.
Simulation-Based Learning: Incorporates interactive lectures, clinical case studies, supervised practical workshops, and realistic trauma simulations to strengthen clinical reasoning and hands-on competencies.
Clinical Decision-Making and Leadership: Enhances critical thinking, clinical prioritization, effective communication, multidisciplinary teamwork, and leadership in high-pressure emergency environments.
Patient Safety and Quality Care: Promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, professional accountability, evidence-informed interventions, and continuous improvement in trauma care delivery.
Professional Competency Development: Equips participants with the knowledge and practical skills to conduct systematic trauma assessments, recognize critical injuries, establish treatment priorities, and contribute effectively to coordinated trauma resuscitation and emergency care within their professional scope of practice.

Systematic Trauma Assessment: Apply structured primary and secondary surveys to rapidly identify and prioritize life-threatening injuries.
Airway and Cervical Spine Management: Assess airway emergencies, support oxygenation and ventilation, and apply cervical spine protection principles.
Thoracic Trauma Management: Recognize critical chest injuries and determine appropriate emergency management priorities.
Hemorrhage and Shock Management: Identify traumatic bleeding, assess circulatory instability, and apply evidence-informed resuscitation principles.
Neurological Trauma Assessment: Evaluate traumatic brain and spinal injuries using neurological assessment tools, including the Glasgow Coma Scale.
Abdominal and Musculoskeletal Trauma: Recognize abdominal, pelvic, vascular, and orthopedic injuries and establish appropriate stabilization priorities.
Special Trauma Populations: Adapt trauma assessment and management principles for pediatric, geriatric, pregnant, and burn patients.
Emergency Clinical Decision-Making: Prioritize time-critical interventions, recognize clinical deterioration, and determine referral and transfer requirements.
Trauma Teamwork and Leadership: Strengthen interdisciplinary communication, clinical coordination, and leadership during trauma emergencies.
Simulation-Based Clinical Competencies: Integrate theoretical knowledge with practical skills through realistic trauma simulations, case studies, and structured assessments.

Course Content

Module 1: Introduction to Trauma Care

Trauma care principles
Global trauma epidemiology
Trauma-related morbidity and mortality
Mechanisms of injury
Blunt trauma
Penetrating trauma
Polytrauma
Trauma systems and networks
Prehospital trauma management
Emergency department preparedness
Trauma team activation
Trauma team composition
Trauma team leadership
Multidisciplinary collaboration
Trauma triage and prioritization
Patient safety
Clinical decision-making
Golden hour concept and limitations
Early intervention
Trauma documentation
Professional and ethical responsibilities

Module 2: Initial Assessment and Primary Survey

Initial trauma assessment
Systematic patient evaluation
XABCDE assessment framework
Catastrophic external hemorrhage control
Airway assessment
Cervical spine protection
Breathing assessment
Circulatory assessment
Neurological disability assessment
Exposure and environmental control
Life-threatening injury identification
Primary survey priorities
Simultaneous resuscitation
Vital signs monitoring
Hemodynamic instability
Level of consciousness
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)
Pupillary assessment
Oxygen saturation monitoring
Temperature management
Continuous patient reassessment
Clinical deterioration recognition
Emergency stabilization
Trauma resuscitation algorithms
Primary survey simulation

Module 3: Airway and Cervical Spine Management

Airway anatomy and physiology
Airway assessment
Airway obstruction
Airway patency
Airway protection
Oxygenation
Ventilation
Basic airway maneuvers
Jaw-thrust maneuver
Airway suctioning
Oropharyngeal airway
Nasopharyngeal airway
Bag-valve-mask ventilation
Supplemental oxygen
Advanced airway indications
Endotracheal intubation principles
Supraglottic airway devices
Difficult airway recognition
Failed airway management principles
Emergency surgical airway awareness
Capnography
Ventilation monitoring
Cervical spine injury recognition
Spinal motion restriction
Manual in-line stabilization
Cervical collar limitations
Airway management complications
Airway simulation workshop

Module 4: Thoracic Trauma and Breathing Emergencies

Thoracic trauma assessment
Chest anatomy
Respiratory physiology
Blunt chest trauma
Penetrating chest trauma
Respiratory distress
Respiratory failure
Hypoxemia
Tension pneumothorax
Open pneumothorax
Simple pneumothorax
Massive hemothorax
Flail chest
Pulmonary contusion
Rib fractures
Sternal fractures
Cardiac tamponade
Blunt cardiac injury
Tracheobronchial injury
Traumatic aortic injury
Chest inspection
Chest palpation
Breath sound assessment
Pulse oximetry
Thoracic ultrasound principles
Chest radiography
Emergency decompression indications
Chest drainage principles
Oxygen therapy
Respiratory support
Thoracic trauma simulation

Module 5: Circulation, Hemorrhage and Shock

Circulatory assessment
Hemodynamic monitoring
Traumatic hemorrhage
External bleeding
Internal bleeding
Hemorrhagic shock
Hypovolemic shock
Obstructive shock
Neurogenic shock
Shock recognition
Shock classification
Tissue perfusion
Peripheral circulation
Pulse assessment
Blood pressure monitoring
Capillary refill
Lactate monitoring
Base deficit
Hemorrhage-control priorities
Direct pressure
Tourniquet application principles
Hemostatic dressings
Pelvic stabilization
Intravenous access
Intraosseous access
Fluid resuscitation principles
Blood-product resuscitation
Massive transfusion protocols
Balanced transfusion
Tranexamic acid indications
Trauma-induced coagulopathy
Damage-control resuscitation
Damage-control surgery principles
Hypothermia prevention
Hypocalcemia recognition
Ongoing hemorrhage reassessment
Shock-management simulation

Module 6: Head, Spinal and Neurological Trauma

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Primary brain injury
Secondary brain injury
Mild traumatic brain injury
Moderate traumatic brain injury
Severe traumatic brain injury
Glasgow Coma Scale
Neurological examination
Pupillary response
Altered mental status
Intracranial hemorrhage
Epidural hematoma
Subdural hematoma
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
Cerebral contusion
Diffuse axonal injury
Increased intracranial pressure
Cerebral perfusion
Brain herniation recognition
Hypoxia prevention
Hypotension prevention
Seizure recognition
Neuroimaging principles
Spinal column injuries
Spinal cord injury
Cervical spine trauma
Thoracolumbar trauma
Spinal motion restriction
Neurogenic shock
Neurological deterioration
Neurosurgical consultation
Neurological trauma simulation

Module 7: Abdominal, Pelvic and Musculoskeletal Trauma

Abdominal trauma assessment
Blunt abdominal trauma
Penetrating abdominal trauma
Intra-abdominal hemorrhage
Solid organ injury
Liver injury
Splenic injury
Renal injury
Hollow viscus injury
Abdominal examination
Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST)
Extended FAST (eFAST)
Abdominal CT principles
Surgical consultation
Pelvic fractures
Pelvic hemorrhage
Pelvic stabilization
Extremity trauma
Open fractures
Closed fractures
Long-bone fractures
Joint dislocations
Vascular injuries
Peripheral pulse assessment
Neurovascular examination
Compartment syndrome
Crush injuries
Rhabdomyolysis
Fracture immobilization
Splinting principles
Pain management
Orthopedic consultation
Musculoskeletal trauma simulation

Module 8: Special Trauma Populations

Pediatric Trauma
Pediatric anatomy and physiology
Pediatric primary survey
Pediatric airway considerations
Pediatric shock recognition
Pediatric head injuries
Weight-based resuscitation principles
Pediatric safeguarding
Geriatric Trauma
Age-related physiological changes
Frailty assessment
Falls and injury mechanisms
Anticoagulant-associated bleeding
Comorbidities
Polypharmacy
Atypical shock presentation
Trauma During Pregnancy
Maternal physiological changes
Maternal stabilization priorities
Fetal assessment
Uterine displacement principles
Obstetric consultation
Pregnancy-related imaging considerations
Burns and Environmental Injuries
Thermal burns
Chemical burns
Electrical injuries
Burn depth assessment
Burn surface area estimation
Inhalation injury
Burn resuscitation principles
Hypothermia
Hyperthermia
Environmental exposure

Module 9: Secondary Survey and Definitive Care

Secondary survey objectives
Head-to-toe examination
AMPLE history
Allergies
Medications
Past medical history
Last oral intake
Events and injury mechanism
Detailed neurological assessment
Head and facial examination
Neck examination
Chest examination
Abdominal examination
Pelvic examination
Extremity examination
Posterior body examination
Pain assessment
Diagnostic imaging
Laboratory investigations
Continuous monitoring
Repeat primary survey
Missed injury prevention
Definitive treatment planning
Specialist consultation
Surgical referral
Critical care referral
Interfacility transfer criteria
Transfer stabilization
Structured clinical handover
SBAR communication
Medical documentation
Patient and family communication
Trauma quality improvement

Module 10: Integrated Trauma Simulation and Final Assessment

Integrated trauma scenarios
Polytrauma management
Multiple-injury assessment
Primary survey performance
Secondary survey performance
Airway emergency simulation
Thoracic trauma simulation
Hemorrhagic shock simulation
Neurological trauma simulation
Pediatric trauma scenarios
Clinical prioritization
Time-critical decision-making
Trauma team leadership
Team communication
Crisis resource management
Clinical reassessment
Patient safety
Simulation debriefing

About Course

What Will You Learn?

Course Content

Module 1: Introduction to Trauma Care

Trauma care principles

Global trauma epidemiology

Trauma-related morbidity and mortality

Mechanisms of injury

Blunt trauma

Penetrating trauma

Polytrauma

Trauma systems and networks

Prehospital trauma management

Emergency department preparedness

Trauma team activation

Trauma team composition

Trauma team leadership

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Trauma triage and prioritization

Patient safety

Clinical decision-making

Golden hour concept and limitations

Early intervention

Trauma documentation

Professional and ethical responsibilities

Module 2: Initial Assessment and Primary Survey

Initial trauma assessment

Systematic patient evaluation

XABCDE assessment framework

Catastrophic external hemorrhage control

Airway assessment

Cervical spine protection

Breathing assessment

Circulatory assessment

Neurological disability assessment

Exposure and environmental control

Life-threatening injury identification

Primary survey priorities

Simultaneous resuscitation

Vital signs monitoring

Hemodynamic instability

Level of consciousness

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)

Pupillary assessment

Oxygen saturation monitoring

Temperature management

Continuous patient reassessment

Clinical deterioration recognition

Emergency stabilization

Trauma resuscitation algorithms

Primary survey simulation

Module 3: Airway and Cervical Spine Management

Airway anatomy and physiology

Airway assessment

Airway obstruction

Airway patency

Airway protection

Oxygenation

Ventilation

Basic airway maneuvers

Jaw-thrust maneuver

Airway suctioning

Oropharyngeal airway

Nasopharyngeal airway

Bag-valve-mask ventilation

Supplemental oxygen

Advanced airway indications

Endotracheal intubation principles

Supraglottic airway devices

Difficult airway recognition

Failed airway management principles

Emergency surgical airway awareness

Capnography

Ventilation monitoring

Cervical spine injury recognition

Spinal motion restriction

Manual in-line stabilization

Cervical collar limitations

Airway management complications

Airway simulation workshop