Citation

Waydhas C, Hildebrand F, Liu L. Front. Med. (Lausanne) 2024; 11: e1453497.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Frontiers Media)

DOI

10.3389/fmed.2024.1453497

PMID

39076766

PMCID

PMC11284158

Abstract

Severe trauma is among the leading causes of death and morbidity in many age groups around the world. The chain of survival in critically ill injured patients starts on the scene, continues in the emergency department, and carries on in the first surgical phase and in the intensive care unit. The optimal care of such patients depends on both medical treatment and organizational management. Therefore, it is essential to examine both of these aspects if healthcare systems are to optimize the care of critically ill trauma patients in different parts of the world.

Provision of the best available medical care for severely injured patients might result in suboptimal outcomes if prehospital care, or any link in the path of the patients through the chain of survival, is not of similarly high quality. A close look at the various challenges faced by trauma systems--and their potential solutions--in different regions of the world will enable the identification of existing short-comings and may facilitate the exchange of relevant solutions and possible improvements to processes. Both unmet surgical needs and the cost effectiveness of surgical intervention should be addressed and potential solutions should be suggested, including those related to medical, training, and organizational issues.

In emergency and intensive care, many aspects of care are specific to trauma patients, and so general recommendations and guidelines may not cover the precise needs of injured patients in these settings. Furthermore, many treatment options are currently under scientific discussion. Therefore, new research results and a critical appraisal of the relevant up-to-date knowledge is provided to the readers herein. ...

Language: en

Keywords

emergency room algorithms; first surgical phase; global surgery; intensive care treatments; prehospital trauma care; severe trauma injury; trauma systems