Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS): obligatory for internal medicine doctors?

Immobilisation of the cervical spine is mandatory in the adequate primary survey of a trauma patient. This principle is part of the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) program. The ATLS course is part of the training of surgical and orthopedic residency programs. We illustrate the importance of cervical spine immobilisation in a case of a non-trauma patient.