Flatline to Lifeline With Dr. Long

Join us for a gripping recap of the 1986 Mount Hood disaster on Flatline to Lifeline. Listen as Dr. Bill Long takes us through the bone-chilling events, describing the blizzard that ensnared a group of high school students and faculty, turning an annual expedition into a catastrophe. Dr. Long recounts his experience from the initial awareness at the hospital to the moment the urgency of the situation shattered the calm, drawing in the media and escalating public expectations. Discover the un...

In this episode we share a case study of a young woman who survived a devastating car crash, thanks to Dr. Long’s use of cardiopulmonary bypass . We explore the differences between various types of burns and the extreme impacts of chemical and electrical injuries. This episode covers it all, offering a deep dive into the severity of third-degree burns and the critical role of specialized surgeons in emergency trauma care. We discuss the evolution of medical practices like burr holes for brain...

What if the key to saving lives in critical moments lies in the blend of mechanical precision and human compassion? Join us as we uncover the extraordinary journey of Dr. Bill Long and Dr. John Hill, two trailblazers in trauma care whose partnership began in the fast-paced world of Southern California. Discover how the evolution of cardiopulmonary bypass technology has revolutionized cardiac surgery over the past 70 years, and how early experiences in trauma care paved the way for remarkable...

In a small Oregon coastal fishing port, a 60 y.o. male fell from a ladder on a pier trying to get into his boat. He fell 6 feet breaking his sternum, causing a cardiac arrest. The fall was witnessed by 3 men who hoisted him to the top of the pier, where EMTs awaited him. The man wasn’t breathing, had no pulses, and was unconscious. Local EMTs did cardiac life support, including endotracheal intubation and defibrillating him multiple times for recurring ventricular fibrillation. They beg...

Penetrating Trauma (.22 rifle bullet at close range) with injury to left common iliac artery & vein with initial stabilization by emergency physician in a very rural hospital in Lakeview, Oregon Josh, a 16 y.o. boy, was going to hunt squirrels with his .22 rifle. He drove his car to a ranch outside of Lakeview, Oregon, a small rural town where Lakeview District Hospital has a 24-bed capacity and provided emergency medical services with nurses and a family physician on call. On...

Case Study of a Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound to the Heart in a Very Rural Setting This episode includes a discussion of a mathematical description of the severity of the three worst injuries in a trauma patient, the Injury Severity Score, developed by Susan Baker at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Bill Long when he was a fellow at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. This score was further refined by adding physiological variables such as systolic blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory ...

Welcome to season two of Flatline to Lifeline! Join us in this episode for a conversation about the events that changed the way some emergency treatments can be approached, somewhat akin to improving the performance of a football team. We explore the concept of the Golden Hour and how medical teams can prioritize the decisions and surgical and critical care of every critically injured trauma patient. In our experience, these changes resulted in lower mortality rates and provided unexpec...

Motorcycle Crash in Oregon Coast Mountains Resulting in Paraplegia and Prolonged Immersion in Near Freezing Water and Death From Severe Hypothermia This young man, riding his motorcycle on trails in the Coastal mountains during the wintertime, lost traction and rolled down a steep hill, hit a tree, became paraplegic, and landed in a mountain lake with ice forming on it. No one witnessed the accident. He was able to grab a tree branch to hold his head and neck above the water level, and to br...