March 31, BATLS (Battlefield Advanced Trauma Life Support) courses began in Dr. Jonas Basanavicius Military Medical Service.

The courses are arranged for the fifth time in a row; this year Estonian, Georgian, Latvian, and Lithuanian military medics are joined by three Armenian representatives.

BATLS method was developed by military medics of Great Britain in 1986. It was done with correspondence to ATLS® (Advanced Trauma Life Support®) system created by the US military medics to minimize rates of mortality and disabilities among civilian trauma patients. The method created by the British prepare military medics for combat actions with major focus on pre-hospitalisation care while transporting the injured between the location the injury occurred to arrival to the field hospital and delivering of surgical assistance.

In order to complete relevant preparation of Lithuanian military medics for international operations it was decided to apply the mentioned method as the main method of attending to trauma patients in international operations before hospitalisation possible. In Lithuania courses based of the mentioned method were first held in 2004 under supervision Swedish instructors.

BATLS course will end on April 2. The course demands high level of preparation, all the participants receive course material in advance. During the course students undergo tests and perform practical tasks; course language is English.