eMedicine Specialties > Trauma > Trauma Management

Initial Evaluation of the Trauma Patient: Multimedia

Author: David J Dries, MSE, MD, FACS, FCCP, FCCM, John F Perry, Jr, Professor of Surgery, Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Minnesota; Assistant Medical Director for Surgical Care, Department of Surgery, HealthPartners Medical Group
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Aug 19, 2008

Multimedia

Immediate mortality in trauma occurs at the scene...
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Media file 1: Immediate mortality in trauma occurs at the scene of the injury. Prevention of these deaths requires a multidisciplinary public health systems approach. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.
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Immediate mortality in trauma occurs at the scene...

Immediate mortality in trauma occurs at the scene of the injury. Prevention of these deaths requires a multidisciplinary public health systems approach. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.

Trauma resuscitations involving simultaneous diag...
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Media file 2: Trauma resuscitations involving simultaneous diagnosis and treatment by multiple providers demand leadership and organization to function effectively. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.
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Trauma resuscitations involving simultaneous diag...

Trauma resuscitations involving simultaneous diagnosis and treatment by multiple providers demand leadership and organization to function effectively. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.

Establishment of a definitive airway may require ...
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Media file 3: Establishment of a definitive airway may require emergency placement of a surgical airway when facial trauma precludes orotracheal intubation. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.
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Establishment of a definitive airway may require ...

Establishment of a definitive airway may require emergency placement of a surgical airway when facial trauma precludes orotracheal intubation. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.

Periorbital ecchymosis, or "raccoon eyes," is a c...
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Media file 4: Periorbital ecchymosis, or "raccoon eyes," is a classic diagnostic sign of basilar skull fracture. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.
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Periorbital ecchymosis, or "raccoon eyes," is a c...

Periorbital ecchymosis, or "raccoon eyes," is a classic diagnostic sign of basilar skull fracture. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.

This chest radiograph demonstrates bilateral pulm...
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Media file 5: This chest radiograph demonstrates bilateral pulmonary contusions in a trauma patient. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.
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This chest radiograph demonstrates bilateral pulm...

This chest radiograph demonstrates bilateral pulmonary contusions in a trauma patient. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.

The anteroposterior pelvis radiograph quickly hel...
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Media file 6: The anteroposterior pelvis radiograph quickly helps identify major pelvic fractures and joint disruptions. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.
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The anteroposterior pelvis radiograph quickly hel...

The anteroposterior pelvis radiograph quickly helps identify major pelvic fractures and joint disruptions. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.

CT scan of the abdomen identifies significant sof...
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Media file 7: CT scan of the abdomen identifies significant soft tissue injury with high sensitivity and specificity. A traumatic liver laceration due to blunt trauma with rib fragment penetration into the liver parenchyma is shown. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.
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CT scan of the abdomen identifies significant sof...

CT scan of the abdomen identifies significant soft tissue injury with high sensitivity and specificity. A traumatic liver laceration due to blunt trauma with rib fragment penetration into the liver parenchyma is shown. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.

The head CT scan for trauma identifies space-occu...
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Media file 8: The head CT scan for trauma identifies space-occupying lesions and directs operative evacuation. The lenticular shape of this lesion identifies it as an epidural hematoma. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.
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The head CT scan for trauma identifies space-occu...

The head CT scan for trauma identifies space-occupying lesions and directs operative evacuation. The lenticular shape of this lesion identifies it as an epidural hematoma. Courtesy of Kevin Kilgore, MD; Carson Harris, MD; and David Hale, MD, Regions Hospital, St Paul, Minn.

More on Initial Evaluation of the Trauma Patient

References
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Further Reading

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Keywords

trauma, injury, motor vehicle accident, MVA, sepsis, multiple organ failure, pulmonary collapse, advanced trauma life support, ATLS, ABCs, ventilation, triage, assessment of trauma patients

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

David J Dries, MSE, MD, FACS, FCCP, FCCM, John F Perry, Jr, Professor of Surgery, Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Minnesota; Assistant Medical Director for Surgical Care, Department of Surgery, HealthPartners Medical Group
David J Dries, MSE, MD, FACS, FCCP, FCCM is a member of the following medical societies: Air Medical Physician Association, Alpha Omega Alpha, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, American Burn Association, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Critical Care Medicine, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, American Thoracic Society, Association for Academic Surgery, Chicago Medical Society, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Illinois State Medical Society, Phi Beta Kappa, Shock Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, Society of University Surgeons, Surgical Infection Society, and Wound Healing Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Ernest Dunn, MD, Program Director of General Surgery, Director of Trauma and Critical Care, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Methodist Hospitals of Dallas, University of Texas Southwestern
Ernest Dunn, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, Association for Academic Surgery, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Texas Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Robert L Sheridan, MD, Assistant Chief of Staff, Chief of Burn Surgery, Shriners Burns Hospital; Associate Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Burns, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Robert L Sheridan, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, American Burn Association, and American College of Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Paolo Zamboni, MD, Professor of Surgery, Chief of Day Surgery Unit, Chair of Vascular Diseases Center, University of Ferrara, Italy
Paolo Zamboni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Venous Forum and New York Academy of Sciences
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

John Geibel, MD, DSc, MA, Vice Chairman, Professor, Department of Surgery, Section of Gastrointestinal Medicine and Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine; Director of Surgical Research, Department of Surgery, Yale-New Haven Hospital
John Geibel, MD, DSc, MA is a member of the following medical societies: American Gastroenterological Association, American Physiological Society, American Society of Nephrology, Association for Academic Surgery, International Society of Nephrology, New York Academy of Sciences, and Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract
Disclosure: AMGEN Royalty Other; AstraZeneca Grant/research funds Other

 
 
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