Current topics in emergency trauma care: part 2: resuscitation in trauma

Resuscitation involves the restoration of adequate tissue perfusion to meet the consumptive demands of the body. The ultimate goals of resuscitation are the prevention of an uncompensated anaerobic state and the reversal of metabolic hypoxia. To achieve these goals, timely intervention with an organized and targeted resuscitative strategy optimizes patient care. Achievement of these goals is dependent on a multidisciplinary approach to the management of the injured patient, and it requires careful coordination as the patient transitions from the resuscitation bay to the operating room and the ICU. Strategies for the management of trauma patients during initial resuscitation are continuously evolving. This supplement reviews the current evidence in these critical and evolving areas of resuscitation to help guide the emergency clinician on current best practice.