What’s On The Trauma Professional’s Blog?

Just about every practice guideline out there regarding liver and spleen injury has some physical activity restrictions associated with it. The accepted dogma is that moving around too much, climbing stairs, lifting objects, or getting tackled while playing rugby could exacerbate the injury and lead to complications or surgery. But... Read more

In this day and age of ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft, it is possible to get a cheap ride virtually anywhere there is car service and a smartphone. And, of course, some people have used these services for transportation to the hospital instead of an ambulance ride. What might... Read more

Preparation and planning will get you just so far. But then, you actually have to act. There are four phases in this procedure. I’ll break them down one by one. Patient preparation. The area should be shielded from curious onlookers and to control any airborne contaminants (dust, debris) at the... Read more

We’ve covered all the preparation for field amputation. Now, it’s time to do it! But wait, exactly what equipment is needed? There are two principles that you must adhere to: figure it all out in advance, and keep it simple. It is crucial that the trauma program design and assemble equipment... Read more

Now it’s time to look at the logistics involved in carrying out a field amputation/dismemberment. There are two main considerations here: getting the right people and equipment to the scene and keeping them safe. The following presumes that the procedure will be done by a physician who is based at a... Read more

Various trauma professionals (prehospital, emergency physician, surgeon) may provide this “service” at various places around the world. In the US, it is usually a physician and typically a surgeon. In my opinion, anyone can be trained to do a basic field amputation. Much depends on local policies and procedures, training, as... Read more

There are basically four indications, two absolute and two relative: Absolute #1: entrapped extremity with a lengthy extrication and a physiologically impaired patient who does not respond to fluids. In this case, there is occult blood loss in other areas that is killing your patient, and they need to get out quickly... Read more

Field amputation is not thought of very often, and for good reason. It is unpleasant, uncommon, and not very safe for trauma professionals due to the austere environment. I will dedicate the next several posts to the topic, starting with some of the facts. First, let’s start with definitions. Two... Read more

Trauma professionals don’t always know everything. Sometimes we have to engage a specialist in the care of our patient. And unfortunately, we don’t always know which conditions demand immediate attention and which can wait. This can lead to overuse of our consultant colleagues and calls  at inappropriate times. So what... Read more