Trauma surgery: Back to basics

The first rule of medicine: do no harm

The principle of doing no harm should not be taken lightly. Although aggressive interventions may be needed during the resuscitation and evaluation of an acutely injured patient, a patient is most vulnerable during this time. Thus, it is important to use a systematic method of examination and treatment to ensure that life threatening injuries are quickly identified; other significant injuries also need to be treated before they cause additional problems. The standard approach consists of primary survey, resuscitation, detailed secondary survey, and initiation of definitive care.

Appropriately qualified personnel and the necessary equipment should be available and ready before any patient is admitted to aid this management system.

Preparation and the trauma team

A trauma team usually consists of four doctors, five nurses, and a radiographer. In many parts of the world, including parts of the United Kingdom, however, this is not possible, and the trauma team consists of two or three doctors and a similar number of nurses. …