Table Of Contents
- What are the Procedures Involved under Trauma Surgery?
- What are the Complications associated with Trauma Surgery?
Trauma surgery is a highly acclaimed medical specialization that focuses on treating patients who have sustained life-threatening injuries and trauma from an accident or impact force. These impact forces often include traffic accidents, sports-related injuries, sudden falls from heights, gunshot wounds, etc.
A trauma unit comprises a specialty of experienced and highly skilled surgeons, including orthopedic, vascular, maxillofacial, cardiothoracic, plastic, and neurosurgeons. Depending on the extent of the trauma and the priority of treatment, the surgeons can take over to do the needful for the patient in need.
Trauma surgery is a highly fast-paced unit where the surgeon and reporting doctors have to be on their feet and execute quicker and detailed treatment to the patient to revive them.
What are the Procedures Involved under Trauma Surgery?
Doctors training to become trauma surgeons often undergo additional training following their general medical degree. Most trauma surgeons also have a similar line of work to general surgeons.
That said, trauma surgery involves surgical interventions involving various body parts, including:
- Head
- Neck
- Abdominal area
- Chest
- Legs and feet
- Arms and hands
The patients needing immediate trauma surgery will be wheeled in at the emergency room from where the specialist surgeons take over, depending on the extent of the trauma.
Upon arrival, the reporting emergency unit’s attending Trauma Surgeon takes over the case and assesses the extent of the injuries the patient has sustained. The first line of treatment involves resuscitation and stabilization of the patient, following which further testing is done.
Some of the most common equipment in use for testing for trauma surgery include:
- Radiographic X-rays
- CT Scans
- MRI
These equipment assess the injured sites on the patient and checks for internal bleeding and the state of the internal organs following the trauma. During initial treatment, airway patency, breathing, and circulation in the patient are
prioritized to stabilize their vitals.
For optimal efficiency, the trauma surgeons work in association with emergency staff and triage care to conduct routine blood tests, draw an intravenous access line and monitor the vitals before further surgical interventions are introduced.
What are the Complications associated with Trauma Surgery?
The most common complication with a trauma patient during an ongoing surgery is their death. These depend on the severity of the injury and the patient’s inability to undergo further surgical interventions.
Besides that, the failure to provide immediate trauma surgery or interventions can lead to irreparable damage for the patients, including risks of limb amputation, internal organ damage, or associated neurological deficits.
However, with the right team of surgeons and well-equipped facilities, these complications can be averted, and the patient can live a comfortable life without any complications down the line.
