Many studies have drawn attention to deficiencies in the management of major trauma, both in the UK and elsewhere. One area that has received little attention is the documentation of such cases in the Emergency Room. When outcome may be sub-optimal, documentation assumes greater importance if advances are to be made in the organisation of trauma care. Based upon the American College of Surgeons...

Cervical spine immobilization is an essential component of the ATLS(®) system. Inadequate training in the management of trauma calls and failure of early recognition can have disastrous consequences. Pre-hospital personnel are routinely involved more in the assessment and stabilization of patients in comparison to other health care professionals.This case study and review highlights the importa...

Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) encompasses two distinct clinical entities: traumatic carotid artery injury (TCAI) and traumatic vertebral artery injury (TVAI). The latter is the focus of our review. These are potentially devastating injuries which pose a diagnostic challenge in the acute trauma setting. There is still debate regarding the optimal screening criteria, diagnostic imaging moda...

BACKGROUND The combination of a bony injury to the shoulder girdle and damage to the brachial plexus and the subclavian vessels is a rare finding. The cases of this combined injury pattern described in the literature are most notably reported in multiply-injured patients after high velocity trauma. FINDINGS Three cases were admitted to our hospital after motorcycle accidents resulting in a co...

Studies of semantic dementia, imaging, and repetitive TMS have suggested that the bilateral anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) underpin a modality-invariant representational hub within the semantic system. Questions remain, however, regarding functional specialization across a variety of knowledge domains within the ATL region. We investigated direct evidence for the functional relevance of the sup...

Extremity injuries associated with natural disasters and combat are typically high-energy, often open injuries, and routinely represent only part of the scope of injury to a poly-traumatized patient. The early management of these injuries is normally performed in austere environments, and relies heavily on the principles of damage control orthopaedics, with external fixation of associated long ...

The initial management of the polytrauma patient follows the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) practice of airway and cervical spine control, breathing and circulation. Assessment of injuries takes place initially in the form of a primary survey, during which time life-threatening injuries are excluded. This is followed by a secondary survey when a more detailed assessment of injuries is carr...