Initial management of trauma. The next 60 minutes

If and when hemodynamic stability has been achieved in a trauma patient, a detailed physical examination and appropriate diagnostic studies are performed. The successful management of trauma demands that immediately life-threatening problems receive top priority and that patients be continuously reexamined and problems reprioritized as conditions change. Finally, it is imperative that appropriate surgical evaluation and treatment be undertaken as soon as possible. Trauma patients should not be allowed to languish or undergo extensive examination in a hospital lacking surgical or other specialists trained to treat the problems identified. Transfer to another facility, whether for specialized diagnostic tests or for evaluation and treatment by surgical specialists, should be accomplished as quickly as possible.