Overcoming ATLS (Plenary I)

Sunday, April 12, 2026

1:50 PM - 2:35 PM PT

Location: Grand III - 4th Floor

Speaker(s)

Reuben J. Strayer, MD, FRCP(C), FAAEM, FACEP, FASAM

Emergency Physician, Addiction Medicine Physician
Maimonides Medical Center
Brooklyn, New York

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

Session Moderator(s)

Zachary Repanshek, MD, FAAEM

Professor and Associate Program Director
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
Molly K. Estes, MD FAAEM FACEP (she/her/hers)

Clerkship Director, Assistant Professor
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

Disclosure(s):

Reuben J. Strayer, MD, FRCP(C), FAAEM, FACEP, FASAM: No financial relationships to disclose

ATLS was designed specifically to bring non-experts in trauma to a minimum standard of trauma care, and its protocoled/algorithmic nature makes sense in that context. However, when the ATLS algorithm is adopted by trauma experts at trauma centers, it has the potential to degrade care, by forcing diverse patient presentations into rigid practice patterns. In this presentation, we will cover the range of benefits but mostly harms brought to to expert trauma evaluation when ATLS is closely adhered to.

Learning Objectives:

After this session, the learner will be able to evaluate when to deviate from standard ATLS protocols, recognizing where rigid algorithmic approaches may be harmful and require individualized clinical judgment
After this session, the learner will be able to select and justify appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers—tailoring their use to the patient’s clinical status.