About this Research Topic

Background

Severe trauma is among the leading causes of death and morbidity in many age groups worldwide. The chain of survival in critically ill injured patients starts on the scene, continues in the emergency department, and carries on in the first surgical phase and the intensive care unit. The optimal care of such patients depends on both the medical treatment as well as the organizational management. Many medical problems in the care of severely injured patients might be similar in most parts of the world, while the organizational challenges on the trauma systems are quite diverse. Therefore, it appears essential to consider both the medical treatment and the organizational management to optimize the care of critically ill trauma patients in different world regions.

The best available medical care for severely injured might result in suboptimal outcomes when prehospital care and the path of the patients through the different chains of survival links are not comparable, and vice versa. In this Research Topic, a close look at trauma systems and their challenges and solutions in different regions of the world will help identify respective potential shortcomings and may allow learning about solutions and possible improvements from each other. We will address unmet surgical needs and the cost-effectiveness of surgical intervention and suggest potential solutions (medical, training-related, organizational). In emergency and intensive care, many aspects are specific to trauma patients, and general recommendations and guidelines may not cover their precise needs. Furthermore, many treatment options are under scientific discussion, therefore we will provide the readers with new research results and a critical appraisal of the up-to-date knowledge.

The manuscripts may cover both medical and organizational topics in the care of severely injured patients. They can range from the prehospital setting, the emergency care in the shock room, to the management in the intensive care unit. Original research, review articles, and case reports are welcome. Specific topics may comprise (but are not restricted to):

- challenges and potential solutions for trauma systems in different world regions (such as Australia, China, European countries, Sub-Saharan Africa, USA), including the cost-effectiveness of interventions, skills training in diverse environments, etc.

- prehospital trauma care, such as emergency physician vs. paramedics, or cervical spine immobilization

- treatment of specific types of injured patients, such as earthquake victims, or patients after a suicide attempt

- challenges in the intensive care unit, such as (latent) organ dysfunction, early mobilization, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)

Keywords: severe trauma, trauma systems, prehospital trauma care, emergency room algorithms, intensive care treatment, first surgical phase, global surgery

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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