PHTLS: Prehospital Trauma Life Support

In the field, seconds count. PHTLS: Prehospital Trauma Life Support teaches and reinforces the principles of rapidly assessing a trauma patient using an orderly approach, immediately treating life-threatening problems as they are identified, and minimizing any delays in initiating transport to an appropriate destination. Developed by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) in cooperation with the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ASC-COT), PHTLS, Ninth Edition reflects current, evidence-based knowledge and practice, and promotes critical-thinking as the foundation for providing quality care.

Rapidly assessing a trauma patient to identify life-saving care is at the heart of the ninth edition of PHTLS. It takes 2 minutes or less for a patient to exsanguinate. No other intervention prehospital care providers perform is more important than stopping that level of bleeding in trauma patients. To reflect this, PHTLS, Ninth Edition utilizes the XABCDE patient assessment mnemonic to place exsanguinating hemorrhage at the forefront of every patient encounter. The importance of XABCDE (eXsanguinating hemorrhage, airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and expose/environment) is reinforced in every clinical chapter.

PHTLS, Ninth Edition features:

Current information on fluid resuscitation and spinal immobilization from evidence-based research and experienced prehospital care providers who apply the principles and practices of PHTLS in the field
Updated patient management techniques, including tourniquet placement, needle decompression sites, the use of pelvic binders, pediatric fluid resuscitation, and pediatric airway management
Emphasis on preventable injuries, from distracted driving to falls in older adults to intimate partner violence
Focus on civilian tactical threats and response, from vehicles as weapons of mass destruction to a new remote assessment methodology flowchart
Dynamic Program Components

The PHTLS, Ninth Edition main textbook is the definitive trauma care resource that details the medical evidence behind the recommended principles and practices of the PHTLS course. As the next step in the evolution of the PHTLS program, the main textbook will be accompanied by the new PHTLS course manual, which reinforces and clarifies key concepts from the course; features an engaging, interactive design; and is written so you feel like you are participating in a conversation, versus listening to a lecture.