Trauma

Trauma surgery is the branch of surgical medicine that deals with treating injuries caused by an impact. for example, a trauma surgeon may be called to the emergency room to evaluate a patient who is a victim of a car crash.

Trauma Explained

Trauma is the injuries suffered when a person experiences a blunt force. You may also hear trauma referred to as a "major trauma." Many trauma patients are the victims of car crashes, stabbings, and gunshot wounds.

 

Trauma can also be caused by falls, crush type injuries, and pedestrians being struck by a car.

Traumatic injuries can affect internal organs, bones, the brain, and the other soft tissues of the body. No area of the body is immune to trauma, but trauma can range from minor (hitting your finger with a hammer) to major (being hit by a car traveling at a high rate of speed or falling off of a building).

Who Performs Trauma Surgery

In the case of severe trauma, such as a catastrophic car crash, the trauma surgeon may be one part of a surgical team that includes general surgeons (to repair internal abdominal injuries), vascular surgeons (to repair damage to blood vessels), orthopedic surgeons (to repair broken bones), and other surgeons as needed.

The trauma team will include not only one or more surgeons, but also the paramedics who stabilize and transport the patient, nurses, anesthetist, respiratory therapist, radiographer, and the support of the medical laboratory scientists, including the blood bank.

For surgeons, extensive education is required in order to practice in their chosen field. As with all physicians, they first graduate from college with a bachelor's degree and enter medical school for four years. For general surgeons, five years of surgical training as a residency is required. For surgeons who want to specialize, the same five-year residency is completed, followed by additional years of training in the area of specialization.

Trauma surgery fellowships are usually one to two years long. Trauma surgeons often also serve a critical care fellowship. They take their boards for a certification in Surgical Critical Care.