Admission surgery: the patient with abdominal and thoracic trauma

1. Epidemiology may affect admission. It is essential to know what types of trauma patients are typically admitted, at what time of day, and on which day of the week. Within trauma systems, one of the major determinants of patient survival is the adequacy of surgical personnel and equipment resources. 2. Assessment of the abdominal and thoracic trauma patient is an active process, requiring constant curious attention. Due to the time-critical nature of these injuries, effective communication is paramount. There may be little or no documentation, and minimal verbal report, consisting of mechanism of injury and vital signs. A stable patient may rapidly deteriorate. 3. Injury severity and location are key in patients' mortality and morbidity. Outcomes for vascular injury surgeries depend on time lag, differences in surgeons' experience, associated injury, site of wounds, type of arterial lesions, and infection.