April 2010

Training in Brazil Promulgation Approvals Region XVI Meeting

ATLSINTERNATIONAL
ATLS International is a monthly electronic newsletter that circulates the latest quality information on news and events across
the ATLS global spectrum. Please contact Jasmine Alkhatib with questions or suggestions at jalkhatib@facs.org.

R e g i o n X I V : L ati n A m e ri c a
P a r a g u a y a n d U r u g u a y Tr a i n i n g
The last time that a South American country promulgated ATLS was nearly a decade ago.
In an effort to help introduce the program to Paraguay and Uruguay,
faculty members of ATLSBrazil led a Student and Instructor training
course in Sao Paulo from March 18 to March 21, 2010.

Pictured from left to right: Marcos Antonio

Lopes; Jasmine Alkhatib; Renato Poggetti, MD,
FACS; Raimunda Fontel; and Claus Stobaus, MD.

Claus Stobaus, MD, offers his students teaching

tips during the ATLS Instructor course.

Renato Poggetti, MD, FACS (Region XIV Chief), supervised the training, while Newton
Djin Mori, MD, FACS (ATLSBrazil Vice-Chair), directed the course. Claus Stobaus,
MD, traveled from his hometown in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to serve as the course Educator.
Brazil now organizes double the number of courses than all other South American
countries combined. While courses in Brazil are typically conducted in BrazilianPortuguese, Spanish was spoken throughout the training course by Brazilian faculty
members. Additionally, Gustavo Tisminetzky, MD, FACS (ATLSArgentina Chair),
participated as a faculty member during the Student course, along with Esteban
Foianini, MD, FACS (ATLSBolivia Vice-Chair). It is an honor to be part of the
ATLS family and to have contributed to the initiative that our friends in Paraguay
and Uruguay have undertaken, said Dr. Tisminetzky. Jasmine Alkhatib, ATLS
International Coordinator, also attended the training, worked with Paraguayan
and Uruguayan coordinator candidates, and led a meeting with Dr. Poggetti for
future ATLS Chairs of Uruguay and ParaguayJulio Trostchansky, MD, and
Hugo Gomez, MDto discuss expectations for their inaugural courses.
A total of 13 physicians from Paraguay and Uruguay participated in the
Student course, all of whom were deemed eligible to take the Instructor
course. However, due to time constraints, only 12 students were selected
to participate and are now considered instructor candidates.
After the course, Dr. Mori thanked faculty members for their work and wrote,
Now that we have set up the nuclei for Uruguay and Paraguay, we will have a bit
more work to do in Latin America. Its great to see the ATLS family growing.
Both countries expect to conduct their inaugural courses in September 2010.

Newton Djin Mori, MD, FACS (right), prepares

to lecture as Cristiane Domingues, RN
(left), reviews the course set-up.

SharePoint Updates
Region XIV Chairpersons and Coordinators should visit the SharePoint
Web site to review the following:
1. Region XIV Meeting Schedule. The region meeting will take place on
Friday, May 21. Please take a look at the program as soon as possible,
and e-mail Jasmine Alkhatib if you would like to contribute a topic of
discussion. To RSVP for the meeting, kindly contact Martha Romero,
ATLSBolivia National Coordinator, at amdabol@cotas.com.bo.
2. Revision Assignments. If you were assigned a chapter for review
for the 8th Edition Spanish Student Manual, please be sure to
post your revisions by Monday, May 17 on SharePoint.

Esteban Foianini, MD, FACS (right), discusses

X-ray slides with a few course participants.

3. Exams in Spanish. All 8th Edition course exams in Spanish are now available.

A m e r i c a n C o l l e g e o f S u r g e o n s 633 N . S a i n t C l a i r St . C h i c a g o, IL 6 0 611-3211 AT L S P h o n e 312-202-516 0 AT L S FA X 312-202-5013

ATLSINTERNATIONAL
R e g i o n X V : E u r o p e , M i d d l e East , A f ri c a
Annual Meeting
i n L a s Ve g a s , N V
On March 10, 2010, the ATLS
Subcommittee gathered in Las
Vegas to discuss recent and
future ATLS activities and
accomplishments. One of the most
exciting pieces of news is the ATLS
promulgation application approvals
for the following countries:
Czech RepublicCzech
Trauma Society
IraqIraqi Surgical Society
GhanaGhana College of
Physicians and Surgeons
Congratulations to all who are
working to spread the ATLS
program. Site visits should be
conducted within the year.

Region Meeting
in Sweden
Mark your calendars for
the annual Region XV
meeting, which will be held
in Linkoping, Sweden, this
year from April 23 to April
24. So far, representatives
from 15 countries are
confirmed to attend. Please
contact Ms. Maria Lampi,
ATLSSweden National
Coordinator, at maria.lampi@
lio.se with questions.

U A E C o o r d i n a t o r V i s i t s I n d i a f o r AT C N I n a u g u r a t i o n
Nearly a year after the launch of ATLS in
India, the AIIMS Trauma Center hosted
the first ATCN (Advanced Trauma Care for
Nurses) course in New Delhi last month. Mr.
Emad Dababneh, RN, ATLS Coordinator
in the United Arab Emirates, participated
in the Student and Instructor courses from
March 11 to March 16, 2010, and shared
his experiences with ATLS International.
Mr. Dababneh said, We worked as a team
and as a family. People were very supportive,
humble, and thankful. I have full trust that
the new instructors will do an excellent job in
spreading the course in this great country.

ATCN faculty at AIIMS in New Delhi.

six of the nine Instructor course participants were

monitored as successful instructor candidates.
During the inaugural courses, visiting faculty
also identified one course director and two course
educators for ATCN in India. The educators
expect to receive additional training under the
supervision of Mr. Richard Henn in the near
future in order to conduct Instructor courses.

Having trained registered nurses in the

management of multiple trauma patients for
more than 25 years, the ATCN Student course is
conducted parallel to the ATLS Student course
in 13 countries. Throughout the inauguration
of ATCN in India, Mr. Dababneh was joined
We thank Mr. Suresh Sangi, ATLSIndia
by ATCN International Chair, Richard Henn,
National Coordinator, for his contributions, and
United States; Paul Nyman, Germany; and
we congratulate him on his new role as ATCN
Severo Jose, United Arab Emirates. Mr. Henn
Course Director for India. Mr.
said, This was a very
Sangi commented to us, Small
successful rollout of
drops get together to make a big
the program [due]
ocean. ATCN in India is one such
largely in part to all of
small step which will change the
the hard work of the
approach to trauma nursing and
staff at AIIMS. The
trauma care in India. Also, special
venue was excellent
thanks to Professor Mahesh C.
and promoted
Misra, ATLSIndia Chairperson,
an ideal place for
who took the first steps in
learning. The ATLS
promulgating ATCN to his country.
instructors were some
Nurses participated in the
of the best that I have
The ATCN Committee
pediatric skill station.
had the opportunity
frequently responds to requests
to work with.
from those interested in
establishing
the
program in their respective
Similar to ATLS course practices, the ATCN
countries.
Please
note that there is a sixtwo-and-a-half-day Student course in New Delhi
month
planning
process
for inaugural
had 16 participants, nine of whom attended a
courses.
For
more
information,
please visit:
rigorous two-day Instructor course. An additional
Student course was carried out a day later, and

http://www.traumanurses.org/atcn-courses.html.

History was created by the coming together of ATLS and ATCN to India on
March 11, 2010, whenfirst-time doctors and nurses in India decided to team
up for the improvement of trauma care during the Golden Hour. Our heartfelt
thanks to international ATCN faculty for helping India in this endeavor.
Prof. Mahesh C. Misra
A m e r i c a n C o l l e g e o f S u r g e o n s 633 N . S a i n t C l a i r St . C h i c a g o, IL 6 0 611-3211 AT L S P h o n e 312-202-516 0 AT L S FA X 312-202-5013

ATLSINTERNATIONAL
R e g i o n X V I : A u stralasia
Region Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia
ATLS representatives from
eight countries attended the
Region XVI meeting hosted
at the Borobudur Hotel in
Jakarta, Indonesia, on March
28, 2010. Karen Brasel, MD,
FACS, ATLS Subcommittee
Chair, discussed matters
concerning promulgation,
course management, 8th
Edition exams, and the
revisions process for the 9th
Edition. Michael Hollands,
MD, FACS, Region XVI Chief,
challenged the group to play
a larger role in revising the
latest materials and assigned
moulage and triage scenarios
for review to interested parties.
Several meeting attendees expressed
the need for prehospital training,
which was followed by an overview of
the PHTLS (Prehospital Trauma Life
Support) program. Per Will Chapleau
(ATLS Manager and PHTLS Chair),
who also attended the meeting,
PHTLS is currently available in
44 countries, including Hong
Kong and the Philippines. There
are plans to introduce the program
to India this coming summer.
During the meeting, the candidate
selected to represent Region XVI
in the upcoming Resident Paper
Competition was announced.
Also, ATLS faculty members
from Indonesia, Hong Kong,
Thailand, Singapore, Australia,
Malaysia, and Taiwan presented
country reports to the group.
The next Region XVI meeting in Asia
will be hosted in Thailand in 2011.

From left to right: Suryadi Soedarmo, MD

(ATLSIndonesia National Coordinator),
and Will Chapleau, ATLS Manager.

Karen Brasel, MD, FACS, (second to left) and Michael J. Hollands, MD, FACS (far right),
pose for a picture with representatives of Region XVI.

ATLS coordinators race to finish the moulage competition.

About Our
O r g a n i z a t i o n .
The American College of Surgeons (ACS)
was founded in 1913 to raise the standards
of surgical practice and to improve the
care of the surgical patient. The College
has worked to establish guidelines for
the care of the trauma patient. The
Advanced Trauma Life Support Course
teaches a systematic, concise approach
to the early care of the trauma patient.
This course is vital to guiding care
for the injured patient in emergency
department trauma rooms. The course
training provides a common language
that can save lives in critical situations.

A m e r i c a n C o l l e g e o f S u r g e o n s 633 N . S a i n t C l a i r St . C h i c a g o, IL 6 0 611-3211 AT L S P h o n e 312-202-516 0 AT L S FA X 312-202-5013