History of the ATLS® Program
The Beginning
In February 1976, a tragedy occurred that changed the first hour of trauma care for injured patients in the United States and in much of the rest of the world. Dr. Jim Styner, an orthopedic surgeon, crashed his small plane into a cornfield in rural Nebraska. Dr. Styner sustained serious injuries, three of his children sustained critical injuries, and one child sustained minor injuries. His wife was killed instantly. The care that he and his family subsequently received was inadequate by the day’s standards. The surgeon, recognizing how inadequate their treatment was, stated, "When I can provide better care in the field with limited resources than what my children and I received at the primary care facility, there is something wrong with the system, and the system has to be changed."
Program Development
A new approach to the provision of care for individuals suffering major, life-threatening injury premiered in 1978, the year of the first ATLS Course. In January 1980, the American College of Surgeons introduced the ATLS Course in the U.S. and abroad. Canada joined the ATLS program the following year. In 1986, several countries in Latin America joined the ACS Committee on Trauma and introduced the ATLS program in their region. Now, ATLS is available in nearly 60 countries. Under the auspices of the ACS Military Committee on Trauma, the program has been conducted for U.S. military doctors in the United States and around the world.
For more than a quarter century, the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma has taught the ATLS course to over 1 million doctors in more than 50 countries. ATLS has become the foundation of care for injured patients by teaching a common language and a common approach. The 8th edition was created using an international, multidisciplinary, and evidence-based approach. The result is an ATLS that is contemporary and meaningful in the global community.
John Fildes, MD, FACS
Medical Director, American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma
Complementary Courses
Trauma Evaluation and Management (TEAM) for Medical Students
Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN) for Registered Nurses
Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) for Pre-hospital care providers
Based on ATLS philosophies, these courses allow PHTLS-trained pre-hospital care providers to follow the same principles of care that are core to ATLS. This in turn creates a smooth transition of care to ATLS and ATCN-trained providers in hospitals.
Revised January 31, 2011