Saving President Reagan's life. The need for an organized emergency medical system in the United States to save lives of all casualties.

Abstract

We are describing a heretofore untold narrative description of the emergency medical plan that saved the life of President Reagan on March 30th 1981. In 1976, Dr. Richard Edlich, director of the Emergency Medical Services at the University of Virginia Medical Center, wrote an editorial on the need for an emergency medical plan for the President of the United States. One year later Dr. Edlich enlisted the help of five distinguished experts in emergency medical systems in our nation to develop an emergency medical plan for the President of the United States. This published emergency medical plan was coauthored by Dr. David Boyd, the Director of Emergency Medical Services of the Department of Public Health and Welfare. Dr. Boyd wisely alerted both the Department of Health and Welfare as well as the White House staff, including Secret Service, of this plan. Realizing the importance of immediate emergency care, the Secret Service agent wisely recommended that the wounded President Reagan be immediately transported to the George Washington University Health Center, which has skilled emergency physicians as well as trauma surgeons, who saved the President's life. Realizing the benefits of this emergency medical plan that saved the life of the President of the United States, Drs. Edlich, Britt, and Wish will now be coordinating a medical narrative report that describes the development of emergency medical systems in the United States as well as modern trauma care in our nation.