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Multidisciplinary Approach to Major Trauma: Changing Strategies and Priorities in Orthopaedic Implantology

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Handbook of Orthopaedic Trauma Implantology

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Abstract

The chapter discusses the management of polytrauma patients, who suffer from multiple injuries and have a higher risk of mortality. The approach to the caare of polytrauma patients requires a multidisciplinary team consisting of specialists in anaesthesiology, trauma and orthopaedic surgery, visceral surgery, radiology, neurosurgery and vascular surgery. Communication and team management skills are crucial, and there are educational programmes like Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) to improve the clinical procedures. The multidisciplinary approach starts in the prehospital setting with proper assessment of trauma severity and transfer to a trauma centre if necessary. Polytrauma patients frequently suffer musculoskeletal injuries that need to be evaluated and treated by a trauma or orthopaedic surgeon. The chapter outlines two concepts of treatment for these patients: “early total care” and “damage control orthopaedics”, with the latter being more effective for certain trauma patients with multiple injuries. The chapter also discusses the challenges of assessing trauma severity for decision-making between these two concepts.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Peter Biberthaler

  2. Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry, India

    Saseendar Shanmugasundaram

Authors
  1. Peter Biberthaler
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  2. Saseendar Shanmugasundaram
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Saseendar Shanmugasundaram .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. NH Narayana Superspeciality and Multispeciality Hospitals, Howrah, West Bengal, India

    Arindam Banerjee

  2. Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Peter Biberthaler

  3. Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry, India

    Saseendar Shanmugasundaram

Section Editor information

  1. Professor and Department chair, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Peter Biberthaler

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Biberthaler, P., Shanmugasundaram, S. (2023). Multidisciplinary Approach to Major Trauma: Changing Strategies and Priorities in Orthopaedic Implantology. In: Banerjee, A., Biberthaler, P., Shanmugasundaram, S. (eds) Handbook of Orthopaedic Trauma Implantology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7540-0_38

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7540-0_38

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-19-7539-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-19-7540-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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