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Emergency Undocking in Robotic Surgery: A Simulation Curriculum
Published on: May 20, 2018
Has the trauma surgeon become house staff for the surgical subspecialist?
David J Ciesla1, Ernest E Moore, C Clay Cothren
1Department of Surgery, Washington Hospital Center, 110 Irving St. NW, Suite 4B-39, Washington, DC 20005, USA. David.J.Ciesla@Medstar.net <David.J.Ciesla@Medstar.net>
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.
