Surgical Management of Musculoskeletal Trauma

Musculoskeletal injuries cause a significant burden to society and can have a considerable impact on patient morbidity and mortality. It was initially thought that these patients were too sick to undergo surgery and later believed that they were too sick not to undergo surgery. The pendulum has subsequently swung back and forth between damage control orthopedics and early total care for polytrauma patients with extremity injuries and has settled on providing early appropriate care (EAC). The decision-making process in providing EAC is reviewed in an effort to optimize patient outcomes following severe extremity trauma.