Initial Evaluation and Triage of the Injured Patient: Mechanisms of Injury and Triggers for Operating Room Versus Emergency Department Stabilization

Trauma anesthesiologists are uniquely juxtaposed with the multidisciplinary trauma team, serving both an administrative role in preparing the operating room (OR) and allocating resources for resuscitation, and a direct patient care role, providing definitive airway management and advanced resuscitation. Trauma anesthesiologists must have an intimate understanding regarding mechanisms of injury, appropriate diagnostic modalities, and current practices regarding OR versus emergency department or radiology suite (IR) resuscitation. In this review, current practices regarding assessment and triage, mechanisms of injury, and the concepts of surgical, orthopedic, and radiology “damage control” approaches to the severely injured trauma patient are discussed. © 2016, Springer Science + Business Media New York.