TREATMENT GUIDELINES IN VISECERAL TRAUMA

Trauma care has to be systematic and simple. The treatment of most injuries can be protocolized and is so in well-developed trauma systems. Protocols and guidelines are helpful in stressful situation were quick decisions has to be taken by less experienced physicians.

Development of robust guidelines is a resource-intensive task and relevant and updated guidelines have been developed and cover most existing trauma settings and injuries. No guideline will be of global relevance, since trauma care has to take into account the setting and resources in which the patient is being treated. Even within Europe, the health care systems and resource situations vary. The VTS committee has therefore decided that we don’t need to reinvent the wheel where there is a functional one already existing.  We have therefore decided to provide links to relevant webpages where updated protocols and guidelines can be found for the fields of trauma we aim to cover.

If you, as a member of VTS or interested reader discover fields that are not adequately covered or update is due, we trust you to be active and let us know, so that we can consider the topic for development of a new guideline.

Initial trauma assessment

• NICE guidelines
  • major trauma – assessment and initial management (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng39/resources/major-trauma-assessment-and-initial-management-pdf-1837400761285 )
  • Blood transfusion (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng24/resources/blood-transfusion-pdf-1837331897029 )
• EAST – https://www.east.org/education/practice-management-guidelines/category/trauma
• The European guideline on management of major bleeding and coagulopathy following trauma: fourth edition. https://ccforum.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s13054-016-1265-x

Specific injury treatment guidelines

• EAST – https://www.east.org/education/practice-management-guidelines/category/trauma
• WESTERN TRAUMA ASSOCIATION – http://westerntrauma.org/algorithms/AlgorithmsPublished.html
• NICE guidelines: Head injuries – assessment and early management (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg176/resources/head-injury-assessment-and-early-management-pdf-35109755595493 )
• WHO – guidelines for essential trauma care – http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/42565/9241546409_eng.pdf;jsessionid=1E7660381F85B4D5CC13E3673F5C2922?sequence=1
• WSES – https://www.wses.org.uk/guidelines

Critical care in the trauma patient

• SCCM – http://www.sccm.org/Research/Guidelines/Guidelines

Trauma system development and quality improvement programs

• WHO document – guidelines for quality improvement programs – http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44061/9789241597746_eng.pdf?sequence=1
• NICE guidelines – Trauma – service delivery (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng40/resources/major-trauma-service-delivery-pdf-1837446110917 )