[Diagnostic apparatus in the shock trauma room]

Opinions vary with regard to the equipment and structural furnishings required for adequate management of the trauma patient in the dedicated shock suite. In order to assess the current situation in Germany, we conducted a survey of the 76 centers participating in the Polytrauma Registry of the DGU. Fifty-one questionnaires were returned by centers representing all levels of care. Responses revealed, for example, that not all centers possess capabilities for conventional radiography in the shock suite (7/51). Only 20 centers had a fixed table; the remaining 24 hospitals used either an image converter or a mobile X-ray unit. A dedicated ultrasound scanner was provided for the shock suite in 39 of 51 centers responding. Dedicated computed tomography scanners were provided for the shock suite in only eight centers (one dedicated trauma center, three level 3 centers, four university hospitals). All eight scanners use helical CT technology; at least three of the units are 8- or 16-slice. Of 51 shock suites, 12 are air-conditioned in compliance with sterile criteria (and are officially designated as surgical suites), while the remaining 39 are not. In acute cases, emergency surgeries can be performed in the shock suite in 37 centers, but not in the remaining 14 shock suites. According to the survey, slightly less than half of the hospitals responding are un-satisfied with the shock suite infrastructure ( n=24) and, of these, 13 centers are actively planning changes (the necessary financial resources have been guaranteed in 10 centers). Fourteen centers desire changes but do not currently have the required money. Information provided by Philips and Siemens suggests that the cost of furnishing a new shock suite ranges between 1.4 and 1.7 million euros. Responses to our survey show that a large gap remains between wishes and reality in the technical infrastructure in many shock suites in Germany.