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The Role of Trauma Surgeon in Mass Casualties

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The High-risk Surgical Patient

Abstract

Trauma surgeons have the skills required to lead teams, and a mass casualty event is a circumstance where a surgeon is the most capable person for decision-making under such extreme pressure. Throughout the phases of disaster management, the surgeon has specific roles to carry out which involve not only delivery of primary and definitive care, but also coordination of civilians and healthcare providers on site, triage, prioritization of patients and procedures, prudent utilization of resources, referral and transferring of patients, appraisal of and feedback for performance, and planning and training for future events. Several authorities have reflected on their experiences with mass casualty incidents and have developed plans of action, incorporating the basic principles for optimal disaster management. A surgeon needs to be aware of every detail of the aforementioned local planning, and furthermore, the surgeon can offer valuable insight regarding alternatives and modifications needed. Overall, the surgeon plays a pivotal role in the prospective design of mass casualty response, in the implementation of planning, as well as providing feedback and suggesting improvements.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 3rd Department of Surgery, “Attikon” University Hospital, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Nikolaos Pararas, Andreas Pikoulis, Panagis M. Lykoudis & Emmanouil Pikoulis

  2. Dr Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Group, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Nikolaos Pararas

  3. Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, University College London (UCL), London, UK

    Panagis M. Lykoudis

Authors
  1. Nikolaos Pararas
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  2. Andreas Pikoulis
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  3. Panagis M. Lykoudis
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  4. Emmanouil Pikoulis
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emmanouil Pikoulis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Emergenza Urgenza, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy

    Paolo Aseni

  2. Divisione di Cardiochirurgia, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Antonino Massimiliano Grande

  3. Div. of Emerg. Surg., Abdominal Center, Helsinki University Hospital Meilahti, Helsinki, Finland

    Ari Leppäniemi

  4. Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, General Surgery and Trauma Team, University of Milano, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy

    Osvaldo Chiara

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Pararas, N., Pikoulis, A., Lykoudis, P.M., Pikoulis, E. (2023). The Role of Trauma Surgeon in Mass Casualties. In: Aseni, P., Grande, A.M., Leppäniemi, A., Chiara, O. (eds) The High-risk Surgical Patient. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17273-1_82

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17273-1_82

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-17273-1

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