Immediate Trauma Life Support (ITLS) Course
Organized by the Trauma Life Support Society of India under the joint aegis of The Kerala Orthopaedic Association & The Cochin Surgical Society, ITLS course is conducted every six months at the Ernakulam Medical Centre hospital. The aim of the society is to integrate the life support services of all the trauma related departments and impart appropriate training. Keeping abreast of current concepts and the restraints particular to this part of the subcontinent, the society plans to impart uniform and standardized training to those participating in these workshops.
The programme is aimed at all those doctors who are actually responsible for the initial evaluation, resuscitation and management of trauma victims. Surgical, Orthopaedic & Anaesthetic registrars will find this course useful. However, it is aimed primarily at the Casualty Medical Officer and the intensivists who are at the forefront of actually implementing life support to trauma victims.
The Course
The course is being organised on the lines of the internationally acclaimed advanced trauma life support (ATLS) course and there will be relatively few lectures on the principles of Initial Trauma Care by eminent faculty (mostly ATLS trained). By far the stress will be on hands on training of the delegates on models and animal torsos. All major emergency procedures listed below will be performed by each delegate.
• Endotracheal intubation
• Cricothyroidotomy
• Tracheostomy
• Central Venous Cannulation
• Venous cut down
• Pericardiocentesis/ Diagnostic peritoneal lavage
• Intercostal drainage
• Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
Evaluation
There will be an evaluation system at the end of the course comprising of multiple choice questions, X-Rays and examination & resuscitation of sham victims, followed by award of certificates of merit.
A pre-course test will also be arranged to assess the entry level skills of each delegate.
A coremanual with the theoretical aspects of the resuscitation protocols will be sent to the participants two weeks prior to the course.
The exit examination will be heavily based on this manual.