Major trauma

Abstract

This chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Emergency Medicine investigates major trauma in the emergency department (ED). It reviews general treatment principles, resuscitation, and investigations, and explores airway obstruction, tension pneumothorax, rib fractures, sternal fracture, flail segment, ruptured diaphragm, oesophageal rupture, traumatic pneumothorax, haemothorax, chest drain insertion, pulmonary contusions and aspiration, penetrating chest injury, open chest injury, traumatic cardiac arrest, thoracotomy for cardiac arrest, aortic injury, focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) scan, blunt abdominal trauma, penetrating abdominal trauma, renal trauma, bladder injury, urethral trauma, scrotal and testicular trauma, minor and serious head injury, post-concussion symptoms, carotid/vertebral artery dissection, maxillofacial injuries, mandibular injuries, temporomandibular joint dislocation, penetrating neck trauma, silver trauma, spine and spinal cord injury, dermatomes, gunshot injuries, blast injuries, burns, inhalation injury, and crush syndrome.