History and Development of Trauma Care in the United States
- 1 May 2000
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wolters Kluwer Health in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
- Vol. 374 (374) , 36-46
- https://doi.org/10.1097/00003086-200005000-00005
Abstract
Until recently the development of systems for trauma care in the United States has been inextricably linked to wars. During the Revolutionary War trauma care was based on European trauma principles particularly those espoused by the Hunter brothers. Surgical procedures were limited mostly to soft tissue injuries and amputations. The American Civil War was remarkable because of the contributions that were made to the development of systems for trauma care. The shear magnitude of casualties required extensive infrastructure to support the surgeons at the battlefield and to care for the wounded. For the first time in an armed conflict, anaesthetics were used on a routine basis. Despite these major contributions, hospital gangrene was a terrible problem and was the cause of many mortalities. World War I and World War II were noteworthy because of the contributions made by surgeons in the use of blood. One of the major lessons of World War II was the reemphasis of how frequently lessons have to be relearned regarding the treatment and care of wounds. Between the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War the discovery was made of the tremendous fluid shifts into the cell after severe hemorrhagic shock. As a consequence, the treatment of patients with shock was altered during the Vietnam Conflict, which resulted in better outcomes and less renal failure. The first trauma centers for civilians were started in the United States in 1966. Since 1988 the number of states with mature trauma systems has expanded from two to 35. During the same period, many studies have documented the efficacy of trauma systems in reducing unnecessary mortality and disability.This publication has 23 references indexed in Scilit:
- Community-Based Trauma System Development: Key Barriers and Facilitating FactorsThe Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, 1999
- Progress in the Development of Trauma Systems in the United StatesJAMA, 1995
- TRAUMA CENTER CLOSURESPublished by Wolters Kluwer Health ,1992
- Impact of the Los Angeles County Trauma System on the Survival of Seriously Injured PatientsPublished by Wolters Kluwer Health ,1992
- Preventable Trauma Deaths in the Netherlands–A Prospective Multicenter StudyPublished by Wolters Kluwer Health ,1989
- The impact of a regionalized trauma system on trauma care in San Diego CountyAnnals of Emergency Medicine, 1989
- Preventable Trauma DeathsJAMA, 1985
- The Effect of Advanced Life Support and Sophisticated Hospital Systems on Motor Vehicle MortalityPublished by Wolters Kluwer Health ,1984
- Prehospital Advanced Life SupportPublished by Wolters Kluwer Health ,1984
- Trauma mortality in Orange County: The effect of implementation of a regional trauma systemAnnals of Emergency Medicine, 1984