Advanced Trauma Life Support study: Quality of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures

Background: The introduction of the ATLS®r course in the Netherlands in 1995 provided for an opportunity to compare data of trauma patients between a pre-ATLS® and a post-ATLS® period. Materials and methods: Over a 3-year period (May 1996 - September 1997 pre ATLS®; December 1997 - April 1999 post ATLS®) 63 trauma patients with an AIS-ISS ≥ 16 (n = 31, pre-ATLS® and n = 32, post-ATLS®) were prospectively studied in two community residency training (ACS Level III) hospitals. All diagnostic and therapeutic procedures were recorded by a video-camera and evaluated by a neutral faculty of six experienced ATLS® trained specialists. Results: Ten out of 14 interventions were performed qualitatively better in the post-ATLS® group, while also the overall score was highly significantly better (4.2 pre-ATLS® and 5.8 post-ATLS®, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Using the opinion of an expert team, this study identified a significantly lower number of patients with inadequate management.

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