Trauma surgery

Trauma surgery is a special kind of medical help that focuses on treating people who have been badly hurt in accidents or injuries. Doctors who work in this area, called trauma surgeons, learn a lot about surgery and caring for very sick patients. They often finish extra training after their basic medical studies to become experts in this field.

When someone is badly injured, a trauma surgeon is one of the first doctors to help. They work quickly to make sure the patient is safe and stable before looking closely at the injuries. Trauma surgeons lead a team of medical workers, including nurses and other doctors, especially in hospitals where they teach other doctors.

Their job is very important because they help save lives and support patients when they need it most. By working with their team, trauma surgeons make sure that every patient gets the best care possible right away.

Training

Most trauma surgeons in the United States work in big hospitals and finish extra training that lasts 1 to 2 years. This extra training often includes learning more about caring for very sick patients. They might then take a test to show they are qualified.

Getting this training can sometimes be hard. In the US, there are special classes like the Advanced Trauma Operative Management course and the Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma course. These help surgeons learn how to treat serious injuries. Most doctors who care for people with serious injuries also need to take the Advanced Trauma Life Support course.

Responsibilities

Trauma surgeons help treat many kinds of injuries, such as those to the neck, chest, belly, and arms or legs. In some places, like large parts of Europe, they also care for injuries to bones and muscles. But in the US and Britain, bone injuries are usually handled by orthopedic surgeons, and face injuries by maxillofacial surgeons. Other doctors, like cardiothoracic, plastic, vascular surgeons, and interventional radiologists, may also help depending on the hospital.

These surgeons need to know many different surgical techniques and make quick decisions with limited information. They must also be skilled in intensive care medicine. Their work hours can be irregular, including nights, weekends, and holidays.

Most patients who come to trauma centers have several injuries at once. The trauma surgeon decides which treatments are needed first and creates a plan to care for the patient. This begins when the patient arrives at the hospital and continues through the operating room, intensive care unit, and recovery rooms. Patients are checked using set rules to find and treat life-threatening problems right away. After that, other injuries are taken care of.

Main articles: neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, maxillofacial surgeons, cardiothoracic surgeons, plastic surgeons, vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, intensive care medicine, intensive care unit, triage

Acute care surgery

Over the past few decades, there have been many improvements in treating injuries. Now, doctors often use ways other than surgery to treat injuries to the neck, chest, and abdomen. Most injuries that still need surgery are related to bones and muscles. Because of this, many trauma surgeons also work in general surgery. In big hospitals in the United States, trauma surgeons often help with emergencies in general surgery. The mix of trauma surgery and emergency general surgery is called acute care surgery.

History

Dr. George E. Goodfellow is known as the first civilian trauma surgeon in the United States. He started his medical practice in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, in November 1880 and worked there for 11 years.

In July 1881, U.S. President Garfield was shot, and soon after, a miner was also shot outside Tombstone. On July 13, 1881, Goodfellow performed the first recorded laparotomy to help the miner, who had serious injuries to his intestines. The miner survived, unlike President Garfield, whose injury was harder to treat.

Goodfellow treated many famous people during his time, including outlaw cowboys in Tombstone, Arizona. He also cared for Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp and his brother Morgan Earp after they were hurt during the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Goodfellow was known for using clean methods, washing wounds and his hands with soap or whisky, which was new at the time. By the late 1950s, a special surgery called laparotomy became the usual way to treat serious belly injuries, and it is still used today for injuries like gunshot wounds.

In the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, trauma surgery is a special part of general surgery. At the Royal London Hospital, which is the busiest place for helping people with serious injuries in Britain and all of Europe, the doctors who work there often come from a background in vascular surgery.

People who want to become trauma surgeons in the UK can take special courses. These include the advanced trauma life support and Definitive Surgical Trauma Skills courses, which are offered by the Royal College of Surgeons.