Interventional radiology (IR) is a critical collaborative clinical service for all levels of trauma activation. IR services require 24/7 availability at Level I and II trauma centers with a 30-minute response time for emergent patient evaluation and interventions as outlined…
One of the most preventable causes of death in abdominal and pelvic trauma is arterial hemorrhage that goes untreated or unrecognized. Currently, interventional radiology has undergone many advances, particularly in noninvasive imaging and conventional angiography, resulting in the ability to…
Radiology testing in the trauma setting including radiography, fluoroscopy, ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has increased substantially in the emergency room and trauma setting over the last decade. The use of CT, which is most…
Introduction The use of Focused Assessment With Sonography in Trauma (FAST) in management of the trauma patient has become increasingly widespread over the past three decades. Serial improvements in ultrasound technology, its portability, and the quality of the images have…
Emergency department thoracotomy (EDT) remains a formidable tool within the trauma surgeon’s armamentarium. Since its introduction during the 1960s, the use of this procedure has ranged from sparing to liberal. At many urban trauma centers, this procedure has found a…
Traumatic injury causes more than 5 million deaths annually, accounting for approximately 9% of all deaths worldwide. From 1999 to 2015 in the United States, injury was responsible for 21% of all years of potential life lost prior to age…
Fluids have been administered intravenously, subcutaneously, and per rectum since the 1600s. The modern description of the circulatory system in 1638 by William Harvey allowed the concept to slowly progress. William O’Shaughnessy theorized that patients suffering from volume loss secondary…
The concept of immediate and appropriate airway management spans all disciplines of medicine. Achieving, protecting, and maintaining the airway have been well recognized as the initial steps necessary in resuscitation of the critically ill or injured patient. The basic premise…
The evolution of prehospital care in this country has an interesting and continually evolving record. Although there is recorded history of wagons and carts being used to transport the sick and injured as early as 900 ace , the term…
Accounting for 16.4% of all injury deaths in the United States, 39,733 people died from firearm injuries in 2017. Of these firearm deaths, 60% were suicides and 36.6% were homicides. Wounds caused by firearms will be encountered not only in…