A Tribute to William B. Long, Jr., and William B. Long, III: A Celebration of Their Revolutionary Contributions to Trauma Care

Abstract

An emergency medical system for trauma care has been conceived in our nation in an effort to improve delivery of emergency care to the accidentally injured patient. There are an estimated 20 million disabling injuries in our nation that should be cared for in trauma centers each year. This report has been written to acknowledge Dr. William Long, Jr., as well as Dr. William B. Long, III, for their unique contributions in establishing the Maryland Statewide Trauma System. Dr. William Long, Jr., played an instrumental role in working with Dr. R Adams Cowley to verify the life-saving value of the Maryland State Police helicopter system. In addition, Dr. Long, Jr., crafted a plan with Dr. R Adams Cowley that allowed Dr. Cowley the autonomy from the University of Maryland Medical School to develop a separate and distinct trauma facility, which is recognized throughout the world. It is indeed fortuitous that Dr. William B Long, III, experienced these landmark changes in trauma care in Maryland, which provided a catalyst for his future career that included extensive training in general surgery in Edinburgh as well as training in trauma surgery with Dr R Adams Cowley. These unique experiences convinced him to expand his training into cardiothoracic surgery. During these academic adventures, he became an international authority on the mathematics of trauma scores, cardiothoracic trauma resuscitation, and the components of a Level I trauma center. These empowering experiences became a catalyst for Dr. William Long, III, to undertake the scientific and clinical studies that would allow him to develop the only American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACSCOT) Verified Level I Trauma Center in the Pacific Northwest. This report describes in considerable detail Dr. William B. Long, III,'s Trauma Center at Legacy Emanuel Trauma Center (Portland, Oregon) as well as to outline his plans to further improve trauma care in the state of Oregon so that it remains a legacy for his academic career. His dreams for having a comprehensive trauma system in the Pacific Northwest are described in detail so that it an be replicated in our nation and our world.Dr. Long became the Trauma Medical Director for Emanuel Hospital in the Fall of 1983. He began building Emanuel's trauma program by establishing an infrastructure that would support technically advanced ways of restoring life and function. His trauma center consisted of the following components: trauma registry, trauma resuscitation nurse program, direct to operating room policy with unstable trauma patients, anesthesia as part of the trauma resuscitation team, massive transfusion protocol, mobile surgical transport team, outreach to rural communities, recruitment of specialists with interest in trauma care, development of a new trauma physical facility, and the Physician Assistant educational program.