Iowa Health-Des Moines Ends Use of Animals in Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS®) Courses

July 2005

In our effort to convince universities and medical centers to use the TraumaMan(R)–a state-of-the-art computerized manikin approved by the American College of Surgeons–in place of animals in ATLS(R) courses, we sent a letter to Iowa Health-Des Moines requesting that it make this compassionate decision.

On August 3, 2005, PETA received written assurance that Iowa Health-Des Moines would never again use animals for this course. With this progressive policy, Iowa Health-Des Moines now enjoys prestigious company–joining Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (a major teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School)–in leading the movement toward humane ATLS(R) training.