Flatline to Lifeline With Dr. Long

An extraordinary medical journey unfolds as devastating trauma—a 17-year-old girl's shotgun blast to the face—is transformed into renewed hope through groundbreaking facial reconstruction. Dr. Long welcomes special guests Dr. Eric Dierks, an oral maxillofacial and ENT surgeon, and Dr. Larry Over, a prosthodontist specializing in maxillofacial prosthetics. Together, they unravel the remarkable...

What happens when a 17-year-old girl arrives at the trauma center with her face destroyed by a shotgun blast? In this episode, we explore an extraordinary case that demonstrates why specialized expertise and immediate intervention make all the difference between life and death. The shotgun injury created catastrophic damage, essentially removing the girl's face from the eyebrows down to the u...

Caution: Graphic Medical Content. Listener Discretion Advised A shotgun blast to the face at close range should've been fatal. Everything between her eyebrows and upper teeth was gone—eyes, nose, mid-face—yet somehow, a 17-year-old girl survived. This is the first episode in a three-part series exploring one of the most remarkable and complex facial trauma cases in medical history. The secret...

A police officer is shot point-blank in the face during a routine traffic stop, the .38 caliber bullet severing his internal carotid artery at the base of his skull. Most wouldn't survive this catastrophic injury, but at Emanuel Hospital—a place Dr. Bryce Potter describes as "a hard place to die"—something remarkable happens. Dr. Bill Long is joined by Dr. Bryce Potter, an oral and...

In this compelling episode of Flatline to Lifeline, Dr. Bill Long welcomes his longtime colleague Dr. Bryce Potter, a remarkable specialist with dual MD and DMD degrees, to explore how specialized training and innovative systems change patient outcomes. Dr. Potter represents a rare breed of medical professionals - at the time of his practice, he was one of only twelve people in the United States w...

When a motorcycle police officer collided with an SUV at 50 mph, his survival chances seemed slim. With fixed, dilated pupils—a classic sign of severe brain trauma—the clock was ticking. In this riveting exploration of emergency neurosurgery, Dr. Bill Long and special guest Dr. Jeff Chen, former director of trauma neurosurgery at Emanuel Hospital, take us through the life-saving measures that turn...

Every second counts when a young boxing champion collapses unconscious in the ring. With his brain hemorrhaging and pressure building inside his skull, his life hangs by a thread. This is the story of a race against time, innovative medical thinking, and the power of teamwork in trauma care. Dr. Long takes us deep inside the intricate architecture of the human brain and its protective systems. We...

In this poignant and insightful episode, Dr. Bill Long and host Will welcome special guests, producer Lindsey Kealey and organizational guru Esther McDonald, for a candid roundtable discussion as Season Four of Flatline to Lifeline begins. Moving beyond immediate shock trauma, this conversation delves into the vital role of patient advocacy when facing life-threatening medical scenarios.  Lindsey...

We're thrilled to announce that Flatline to Lifeline is officially returning for Season 4! Thank you for your patience, loyal listeners. We haven't forgotten you! Get ready for more compelling case studies and insights into the revolutionary trauma care pioneered by Dr. Long. We'll be diving deeper into the extraordinary impact of his 50-year career, exploring the very real potentia...

Ever wondered how trauma care can reach the most remote corners of our country? Joining us today is Dr. John Hill, the brilliant mind alongside Dr. Bill Long, who pioneered the Mobile Surgical Transport Team (MSTT) in Oregon. Discover how their innovative approach has revolutionized trauma care by bringing critical surgical interventions directly to rural hospitals, drastically improving survival...

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 situat...

Balancing on the tightrope of life and death, we delve into the ethical quandaries of critical care. Listen to Dr. Long's and Dr. Hill’s insights into the moral complexities medical professionals face, especially when personal beliefs intersect with broader ethical standards. Through a case involving severe brain damage to a 19-year-old woman in a car accident, we explore the intricate decisi...

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...

Prepare to be inspired by the innovations of Dr. Bill Long and Dr. John Hill, the "Cardiac Cowboys," who have revolutionized trauma care. You'll gain deep insights into their use of the portable cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) machine, a game-changer in emergency medicine that has saved countless lives. Hear the gripping tale of a 34-year-old patient from rural Walla Walla, Washington,...

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 surge...

Join us on this enlightening episode of Flatline to Lifeline as Dr. Bill Long unpacks the complexities of fluid dynamics in medicine. We'll draw intriguing parallels between the cardiovascular system and electrical circuits, making sense of blood flow and pressure gradients. Understand how these fundamental principles are applied in surgical settings, particularly in the function of the intra...

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 intuba...

Case study of a 22 y.o. male driver of car, head on collision on an interstate highway, blunt chest trauma, rupture of pericardium with herniation of heart into left pleural cavity The accident occurred not far from The Dalles, an Oregon town on the Columbia River about a 1 ½ hour drive from Portland. EMTs extricated him from the vehicle, “needled his left chest” to release a tension pneumothorax,...

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...

Case Study: Temporizing Balloon Angioplasty and Embolectomy for a Blunt Trauma Thrombosed Left Common Iliac Artery at a Rural Level 3 Trauma Center A 36 year-old lady and her husband from New York were vacationing on the northern Oregon Coast when an oncoming car crashed into their car and their car went off the highway into a deep ditch. This happened during a coastal storm with high winds and ra...

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 re...

This episode, packed with an edge-of-your-seat medical scenario and compelling discussions, will encourage you to envision a world where there's always a glimmer of hope, even in the face of failure. Dr. Long brings his 50-year medical journey to life as he delves into the intricacies of board certification and surgical training. We tackle leadership's pivotal role in high-stress medical...

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 pati...

Motor Vehicle Crash (Pickup Truck vs. Telephone Pole) This accident happened in the Fall of 1983. At the time of impact, the restrained teenage female driver’s upper torso moved forward and hit the steering wheel. The transformer crashed through the roof, hit her in the mid back, and crushed her liver. She was in shock at the scene from blood loss. EMTs extricated her from the pickup and transport...

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 accide...