Trauma, Critical Care and Reconstructive Surgery

Traumatic injuries are currently responsible for more than 120,000 deaths annually and are blamed for over 80% and 60% of teen and childhood deaths, respectively. More than 50 million injuries per year, meanwhile, are classified as traumatic, and half of them are very serious enough to require hospitalization. There are many different types of trauma and are classified according to the body parts that have been affected and the extent of the condition. Some of the most common ones are injuries to the brain, spine, abdomen, and chest. They may also be categorized as closed or penetrating. The injury is considered closed when the trauma happens inside the body. For instance, a traumatic brain injury can develop due blunt force trauma to the head. On the other hand, it’s considered as penetrating such as in the case of a stab wound with a knife or scissor. A trauma center is a special unit in health care facilities that is fully equipped to conduct a wide variety of tests including imaging using X-ray, CT scan, and PET scan and in handling different types of traumatic injuries, from brain to burns and fractures.