PHTLS (NAEMT)

Having recently completed Medicine in Remote Areas and first response emergency care courses, Rich completed PHTLS NAEMT’s Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS). This is recognised around the world as the leading continuing education program for pre-hospital emergency trauma care. PHTLS promotes excellence in trauma patient management through global education of all providers involved in the delivery of pre-hospital care.

PHTLS is developed by NAEMT in cooperation with the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. PHTLS courses improve the quality of trauma care and aims to decrease mortality by training delegates to use a systematic primary survey (below) to treat casualties. This  stresses the treatment of the multi-system trauma patient as a unique entity with specific needs.

The course reinforced techniques to control catastrophic haemorrhage, administer fluids including Fast IO and also surgical airway preparations and chest decompression techniques as a treatment for tension pneumothorax. The course also provided training on vehicle  extrication after RTC and the safe packaging and transport of patients from the scene to a hospital setting. Certification comes from NAEMT and is valid for 4 years.