(ii) Blunt abdominal trauma: current concepts

✍ Scribed by P Chu

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 112 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0268-0890
• DOI: 10.1016/s0268-0890(03)00075-6

✦ Synopsis

Abdominal and orthopaedic injuries commonly co-exist in blunt trauma. Optimal patient care requires cooperation and communication between orthopaedic surgeons and general surgeons and each must have an up-to-date understanding of the other's management principles.Over the last decade, ultrasound has progressed from an experimental diagnostic modality in trauma to be a key position in the management algorithm for abdominal trauma and management of solid organ injuries has seen the widespread acceptance of conservative, non-operative treatment in haemodynamically stable patients. The management of devastating solid organ injuries has evolved from extensive and lengthy procedures to early control of hemorrhage with packing.The recognition of the deadly triad of hypotension, hypothermia, and coagulopathy has led to the concept of the damage control laparotomy. As the ability to resuscitate and manage critically ill patients has improved, new complications have been encountered including abdominal compartment syndrome.