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Chapter 1 - General Approach to Traumatic Injuries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2019

By
Ryan O’Halloran  and
Kaushal Shah
Edited by
Alex Koyfman  and
Brit Long
Alex Koyfman
Affiliation:
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Brit Long
Affiliation:
San Antonio Military Medical Center
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Summary

Trauma is the fourth leading cause of death overall in the United States and the number one cause of death for ages 1 to 44 – second only to heart disease and cancer in those older than 45 (CDC).1 As the disease burden from infectious diseases declines and secondary prevention of chronic conditions improves, the relative importance of the practice of trauma care becomes even more apparent. Though safety engineering has improved across many industries (one need only consider examples such as crosswalk and bike lane planning, football helmet technology, and motor vehicle computerized improvements), trauma remains a significant threat to life and limb in emergency medicine.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Emergency Medicine Trauma Handbook , pp. 1 - 16
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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