Chest injuries are a leading cause of trauma deaths each year. Injuries to the chest may result from a wide variety of causes, such as motor vehicle crashes, falls, sports mishaps, and crushing or penetrating forces.
Chest injuries may involve the bones that form the chest cavity or the organs or other structures in the cavity itself.
Trauma has a far-reaching impact for every aspect of a patient's life. Trauma affects anyone who is traumatized, in addition to their family members.
Trauma basically refers to any injury.
Trauma centers are important to have because if a patient gets to a trauma center within 60 minutes of injury, it increases their chance of survival. Research has proven this repeatedly. In addition to improving patient survival, a nearby trauma center means the patient will have better access to resources close to home during and after discharge, and the burden for family and friends is reduced with less travel is required to visit their loved one.
Since polytrauma severely affects many areas of the body at once and in highly unpredictable manners, it is not easy to link the symptoms to particular locations of the body. Symptoms of brain damage, for instance, can produce nausea and vomiting, while cold intolerance and sexual dysfunction can result from various origins including the brain.
To ensure proper diagnosis and treatment, make sure the healthcare specialist understands the complexity of your injuries. What's ailing your body may be caused by your brain and vice versa, so make sure the doctor examines both your body and brain. The physician should also refer you to a team of specialists including neorologists and endocrinologists who should work together to treat you from head to toe.
Polytrauma describes multiple complex injuries of the brain and body typically caused by explosive blasts from car bombs, shells and flying shrapnel. The condition is commonly characterized by multiple head injuries, vision and hearing loss, nerve damage, multiple bone fractures, unhealed body wounds and infections—either of which can be life threatening. Others injuries may include severed limbs or spinal cord damage with the majority of patients experiencing some amount of traumatic brain injury.
The complexity and severity of injuries sustained may also lead to emotional or behavioral challenges. In recent years, more soldiers and service men have been diagnosed with polytrauma as modern advancements have allowed victims of multiple blast wounds to be rescued from battle instead of dying in combat. Now, more soldiers and civilians on foreign soil are surviving massive injuries and can receive the medical care they need after returning home.
A crush injury is caused by strong pressure against a body part, often a limb. It may result in serious damage to underlying tissue, causing bruising, bleeding, lacerations, fractures, shock, and internal injuries.
