-ATLS

“Twenty eight years have gone by since that first course in Auburn and ATLS keeps on spreading and growing,” dad said to the audience, looking up from his notes.  “Sort of like a real good malignancy.”

The crowd chuckled, and dad felt the mood of the room lighten.  Dad loosened up a little and continued: 

“What we thought would be a course for rural Nebraska, became a course for the world in all types of trauma settings, from the rural hospital to the level one trauma center to the military. 

“Ireland,” he said giving acknowledgement to this crowd, “joined the ATLS family in 1991.  Paramedics and the nurses all over the world now also have ATLS based courses tailored to them and their specific treatment scenarios. Everyone involved with the trauma victim speaks the same “ATLS” language. This ability to communicate and anticipate at all levels decreases morbidity and mortality in the ‘golden hour.’”

 That was what it was all about.  Dad left Lincoln and surgery and ATLS after over a decade later in 1987, choosing he needed to slow down and take it easy.  He moved to California in obscurity and was content to work his way into workers comp cases.  But ATLS continued through all of those years, very similar to the first course that he, Ron, and Jodie wrote.

Several years later dad started to go down to Ayacucho, Peru in participation of medical missionaries there.  The missions gave him a great deal of satisfaction, as well as a chance to do surgery again.  The conditions made the work very challenging, and often included having restraint or traction devices, or instruments made by a local blacksmith.  He tried to go down every year or so, and for many of the patients that he saw, he was their regular doctor.  Peru had adopted ATLS in the years prior to him going there, but the hospital was still quite primitive by American standards. 

During one of his trips, about 100 miles from the hospital in the mountains near Cusco, a fire fight occurred between the Peruvian Marines and the local insurgents known as the Shinning Path.  Two of the marines were wounded during the battle and were subsequently brought to the hospital.  One had an AK-47 gunshot wound to the abdomen and right arm.  The other had stepped on land mine during the melee, partially amputating the left leg, and sustaining a severe soft tissue injury to his other leg.

 In the rather primitive ER, dad helped stabilize the patients.  The benefits of ATLS immediately were obvious to him.  The Marine personnel and native doctors spoke Spanish, working along with Americans doctors that spoke English.  There was only one doctor who was bilingual.  It was the ‘language’ that was standardized in the ATLS course that became the common thread that was used by both groups to communicate outside the realms of their native languages, enabling efficient, effective assessment and stabilization of the Marines.  They both lived.

“From the beginning of the course over 500,000 students have trained in 46 countries within 25,000 ATLS courses.”  Dad concluded to the crowd before him. 

“24,000 trained Physicians graduate each year from these courses,” Dad said, wrapping up his speech with a smile.  “It looks like we’re on a roll.  I think we might want to introduce it to the moon and Mars next.     

“Compared to what happened in the recent tsunami in Asia,” he concluded with seriousness,  “The terrorist attacks of 9-11 in the US, the disaster on the Gulf of Mexico coast from hurricane Katrina, and the other natural and man made disasters that have occurred in the past thirty years, my family’s experience out in that field was just child’s play.  Hopefully what we have done, all of us who have become a part of the ATLS family, has played a part in saving some of these souls.” 

“Thank you.”

The hall erupted in applause, echoing like thunder across the room.  Everyone was on their feet, and beaming at him.  He felt a little overwhelmed by it.  But he was certainly grateful for the acknowledgement after all these years, even though he never did any of it for fame or money.  He just threw it out and watched to see if it would stick.  He was glad it did, but always knew it was way bigger then just him.  None of it could have happened without the help and interest he got from Ron and Jodie and all of the others.

The President of the college came up on stage and shook his hand vigorously.  Dad smiled, and looked out at the crowd, still applauding.  For a moment, he thought of mom, and was both sad and grateful for her.