TRAU6003Torso Trauma

Course handbook

Description

The Torso Trauma course will discuss contemporary management of thoracic, abdominal and pelvic injuries. The emphasis will be on prompt diagnosis and surgical treatment.

Availability2024 Course Timetables

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of management of the vast variety of torso injuries and combinations of these

2. Identify an approach to diagnosis and treatment which will allow a smooth transition of trauma patients from the resuscitation bay to the radiology department to the operative theatre

3. Identify and analyse guidelines, controversies and evidence based strategies related to torso trauma management

4. Demonstrate awareness of a more holistic and contemporary approach to the torso trauma patient

Content

The course will be organised for one semester of 13 weeks with 1 major topic and subsequent quizzes.

Week 1-3

Thoracic trauma

• The spectrum of blunt trauma (chest wall contusion...flail chest with traumatic lung injury)
• Clinical significance of rib fractures and their management
• Chest tubes (indications, procedure, daily management, complications)
• Penetrating chest trauma (thoracic outlet, thoraco-abdominal, lateral, cardiac box)
• Operative indications and approach
• Emergency (resuscitative) thoracotomy
• Indications for surgery and approaches

Week 4-6

Abdominal trauma

• Mechanisms of injury, changing patterns of epidemiology and presentations
• Blunt and penetrating trauma diagnostics and decision making
• Non-operative management of abdominal injuries
• Trauma laparotomy, damage control laparotomy
• Specific organ injury management: liver, spleen, kidney
• Specific organ injury management: duodenum, pancreas, biliary tree
• Specific organ injury management: small, large bowel, ano-rectal trauma
• Specific organ injury management: ureter, bladder, urethra
• The specifics of abdominal trauma in children
• Multiple Choice Quiz: Part 1

Week 7-9

Vascular trauma

• Mechanism, patho-morphology, diagnostics
• Indications for surgery (hard vascular signs), approaches
• Interventional/endovascular techniques and their indications
• Penetrating neck injuries
• Blunt cerebro-vascular injury
• Blunt aortic injury
• Extremity vascular injuries

Week 10-12

Pelvic trauma

• Epidemiology, classification, diagnostics, significance
• Pelvic ring injuries with haemodynamic instability
• Definitive management of pelvic fractures
• Acetabulum fractures
• Multiple Choice Quiz: Part 2

Requisite

Students can only enrol in this course if they are active in the Master of Traumatology [12392] program.

Assumed knowledge

Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Pathophysiology

Assessment items

Quiz: On-line quiz

Participation: Discussion Board

Written Assignment: Written assignment

Contact hours

Semester 2 - 2024 - Online

Course outline

Course outline not yet available.