COVID-19 Information and Resources

Dear TAC members,

Like the rest of the world, the daily routines of the trauma care community have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This invisible threat, with no rapid test, has added another layer to the complexities of treating the injured patient.

In many ways trauma care and COVID-19 are at right angles to each other, in that they conflict with each other. Trauma requires speed and decisive action; COVID-19 requires us to slow down to protect our trainees, our colleagues and ourselves.

Many programs have already risen to this challenge by creative improvising and creating innovative solutions to work around this new threat and reality. We have provided guidelines from TAC member’s home hospitals, which can be review and adapted for every institution’s unique situation.

Because of TAC members’ unique skills, experience in disaster management, disposition, and ability to cope with chaotic, and rapidly changing situations, many of us have been called to step in to lead the emergency responses at many levels of health care and government.

TAC as an organization will survive this challenge, and we are already planning for a future meeting and looking at new ways of improving trauma care in Canada,without the need of large gatherings.

Although many of our members have been hard at work re-organizing prehospital systems, emergency departments, intensive care units, operating rooms and patient wards coping with this crisis we must continue our work in support of our communities and our teams. There will be increased trauma case volumes as the economic restrictions are lifted across the country and the better weather arrives. I encourage all members to stay in contact with fellow members and share experiences and prepare our local teams while respecting physical distancing for an oncoming trauma season, which will be quite different than most of us have ever experienced.

We are confident that all TAC members are doing more than their share and are leading the way in developing and maintaining excellence in trauma care across the country during these extraordinary times.

[PDF version]

COVID 19 presented Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) the opportunity to implement changes to the level 1 trauma response to help streamline the process while keeping our staff and patients safe

See attached slides [PDF] for the following changes:

• Revisions to the EMS patch form
• Creation of a Trauma Pre-Brief and EXIT checklist
• New criteria for the Trauma-Massive Transfusion Protocol
• Implementation of “The Big 5” including a description of roles and responsibilities
• Trauma bay equipment moved to a centralized location

If you have any questions about our process please contact Jennifer Jordan, Trent Moser or Sara Vannatta.

Jennifer.Jordan@ahs.ca – FMC ED Quality Consultant
Trent.Moser@ahs.ca – FMC ED Educator
Sara.Vannatta@ahs.ca – Trauma Coordinator

COVID-19: Trauma Education Resources

A Message from the American College of Surgeons:

During the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, we understand that everyone is in need of additional resources and looking for alternate ways to address their individual needs. In an effort to develop an equitable solution for all of our ATLS Partners and health care professionals that care for injured patients, we have made the following Basic Trauma Care “Just in Time” education materials available free of charge.

Download the ATLS app from myatls.com. Please contact atls@facs.org to receive a free download code.

The 9th edition of the ATLS Student Manual is available for download. Hard copies can be shipped upon request. (Please note: Requests are contingent upon shipping availability and the requestor will pay shipping cost.)

Specific videos from the 10th edition mATLS modules are available for free.

• Hospital Preparation
• Hand-Over
• Initial Assessment
• Log-Roll
• Secondary Survey
• Nasopharyngeal Airway
• Oropharyngeal Airway
• Adult Orotracheal Intubation
• Endotracheal Intubation with BURP
• Needle Cricothyroidotomy
• Surgical Cricothyroidotomy
• Needle Decompression
• Open Pneumothorax
• FAST – Pericardial
• Pelvic Blood Loss
• Pelvic Binder
• Chest Tube
• Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma

Two Emergency Physicians from Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto have an important message to share in this short 3 minute video:

Keeping Yourself & Others Safe during COVID-19 Outbreak

[View/Download PDF]

These recommendations have been developed to provide rapid guidance on major trauma management to trauma receiving hospitals in the B.C. during the COVID-19 pandemic. As new knowledge and updated guidelines, procedures and protocols from authoritative sources become available, it is anticipated that recommendations for major trauma care may evolve. In this event, these guidelines will be updated accordingly.

[View/Download PDF]

The health and safety of our staff and patients is of paramount importance. This document
should serve as guideline for Trauma Team Leader (TTL) and Trauma Team response during the
COVID-19 pandemic.

[CMA Link]

The CMA is working with the Public Health Agency of Canada, provincial and territorial medical associations, and the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health to share the most up-to-date and reliable resources with physicians and patients.