BACKGROUND: The role of the trauma surgeon is perceived to be mostly supportive of other procedure-oriented specialties. We designed this study to characterize the surgical and nonsurgical responsibilities of the contemporary trauma surgeon. METHODS: Trauma patients admitted to an urban academic level I trauma center were studied using trauma registry data for 2004. RESULTS: The large majority of patients admitted to trauma service has mild single-system injuries to 1 or 2 anatomic regions. Most (57%) did not have injuries to the neck, chest, or abdomen. Head and extremity injuries were present in 45% and 46% of patients, respectively. Surgeries were performed by orthopedists in 28%, trauma surgeons in 11%, and neurosurgeons in 6% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The contemporary trauma surgeon has little surgical opportunity and provides a disproportionate amount of nonsurgical care in support of consultant specialists. This is a major deterrent to general surgeon interest in trauma care and must be addressed as the acute-care surgeon evolves.
BACKGROUND: The role of the trauma surgeon is perceived to be mostly supportive of other procedure-oriented specialties. We designed this study to characterize the surgical and nonsurgical responsibilities of the contemporary trauma surgeon. METHODS:Traumapatients admitted to an urban academic level I trauma center were studied using trauma registry data for 2004. RESULTS: The large majority of patients admitted to trauma service has mild single-system injuries to 1 or 2 anatomic regions. Most (57%) did not have injuries to the neck, chest, or abdomen. Head and extremity injuries were present in 45% and 46% of patients, respectively. Surgeries were performed by orthopedists in 28%, trauma surgeons in 11%, and neurosurgeons in 6% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The contemporary trauma surgeon has little surgical opportunity and provides a disproportionate amount of nonsurgical care in support of consultant specialists. This is a major deterrent to general surgeon interest in trauma care and must be addressed as the acute-care surgeon evolves.
Authors: Patrick K Kim; G Paul Dabrowski; Patrick M Reilly; Susan Auerbach; Donald R Kauder; C William Schwab Journal: J Am Coll Surg Date: 2004-07 Impact factor: 6.113
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Authors: Falco Hietbrink; Roderick M Houwert; Karlijn J P van Wessem; Rogier K J Simmermacher; Geertje A M Govaert; Mirjam B de Jong; Ivar G J de Bruin; Johan de Graaf; Loek P H Leenen Journal: Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg Date: 2019-11-23 Impact factor: 3.693
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