Trauma is one of the most common causes of death of many people aged between 1 and 44 years. It has become the third most common cause of death irrespective of their age. Polytrauma and multiple trauma are the medical terms that describe a person’s condition who has sustained to multiple severe, life-threatening injuries that may lead to death.
The Injury Severity Score (ISS) is an approved medical score to evaluate the severity of trauma. This is the term used to define multiple trauma or polytrauma as the Injury Severity Score is greater than 15 or if the injury scale is greater than 2 severity score in at least two injured regions.
Multiple Trauma Management in Hyderabad
Polytrauma or multi-trauma occurs when a person experiences multiple injuries to their body parts and the organ. Polytrauma doesn’t always result in blasts, accident-related events.
TBI – traumatic brain injury is the most frequently seen polytrauma cases associated with other disabling conditions like:
- Amputation
- Chronic pain
- Spinal cord injuries
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Auditory and visual damage
- Spinal cord injury (SCI)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and some other medical conditions.
Treating patients with severe and multiple trauma injuries is one of the most challenging situations for trauma surgeons. Due to the severity & complexity of the injuries, patients require a high level of clinical care and other supportive services.
Polytrauma Care in Hyderabad
The primary cause of polytrauma among civilians is motor vehicle accidents. The impact of high-speed crashes that occur in accidents leads to these severe and disastrous injuries to the victims. Some of the most serious threats which cause polytrauma injuries include; sudden blasts from plastic explosives, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and grenades etc. mostly seen in military personnel.
Beyond Accidents and blast incidents, some other common causes of polytrauma include fall from elevated heights, fire accidents.
Polytrauma or multi-trauma which is also defined as an injury to the body leading to profound physio-metabolic changes involving your multisystem. It is said to be:
- Two major system injuries + One major Limb injury
- One Major system injury + Two major Limb injuries
- One Major system injury + One Open grade-3 skeletal injury
- Unstable pelvic fracture associated with physical injury
Some of the main orthopaedic injuries that occur in the case of a polytrauma include:
- Rib fracture
- Sternal fracture
- Flail chest
- Open chest wound
- Hemopneumothorax treatment
Treatment For Polytrauma Injuries
On admission of any trauma patient, he or she should immediately undergo diagnosis tests like an x-ray of their chest, cervical spine and pelvis commonly called a ‘trauma series’, to determine possible life-threatening injuries.
Our patient management focuses on the classification of life-threatening injuries and simultaneous treatment immediately. We follow the classical ABC approach (airway, breathing, circulation) and provide treatment at our best by the trained and practised trauma team.
The common surgeries performed to treat trauma patients are:
- Spinal surgeries
- Intramedullary nailing of bones
- Plating
- Plastic surgery
- All musculoskeletal injuries
- Rehabilitation and physiotherapy procedures.
Time is everything in case of emergency trauma cases. Time management is very important and the procedure followed by our emergency department to treat polytrauma patients include:
- Initial evaluation and preparation of the treatment plan. As the patient enters into the emergency room, he is accompanied by a general surgeon.
- The diagnosis reports will be sent to other specialist doctors.
- After the initial assessment by various specialities, the resident doctor of concerned speciality will attend the patient.
- Some patients may require the assistance of other specialities during treatment. In such cases, the concerned speciality doctor will be informed to attend the patient.
Dr Vasu Juvvadi, the best trauma surgeon aims to provide comprehensive, high-quality and exceptional care to patients who have subjected to multiple injuries to the body.
