Ethics of Acute Care Surgery
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Trauma care is undertaken in order to save the lives and protect the health of patients who have experienced injuries. The health of patients includes such…
Alcohol and Drugs
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Trauma surgeons are very likely to interact with patients suffering from a wide variety of substance use disorders. It is important that providers are familiar with…
Heart and Thoracic Vascular Injuries
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The heart and its tributaries are encased in the thoracic skeleton composed of the manubrium, sternum, clavicles, rib cage, and vertebral bodies. This rigid chassis protects…
Lower Extremity
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Lower extremity injuries represent the primary cause of more than half of all hospitalizations for trauma. Their frequency, severity, and costs emphasize the impact of those…
Liver and Biliary Tract
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Liver injury occurs in approximately 5% of all trauma admissions.1 The sheer size of the organ, along with its position under the right costal margin, make…
Abdominal Vascular Injury
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Abdominal vascular injuries are among the most lethal injuries encountered by trauma surgeons as the vast majority of these patients arrive at trauma centers in profound…
Upper Extremity
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Treatment of the injured upper extremity and the appreciation of the severe disability that could result from poor management was the major driving force in the…
Stomach and Small Bowel
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Injuries to the stomach and small bowel are very common in penetrating abdominal trauma. The incidence of gastrointestinal injury following gunshot wounds (GSW) that penetrate the…
Duodenum and Pancreas
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Injuries to the pancreas and duodenum present a significant challenge, for a number of reasons. First, while their deep, central position affords the organs some degree…
Trauma Damage Control
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The technique of initial abortion of laparotomy, establishment of intra-abdominal pack tamponade, and then completion of the surgical procedure once coagulation has returned to an acceptable…
