Assessment of trauma patient

Description

Trauma anesthesia management is a challenge because it  deals with a critical ill patient with unclear history, injuries and physiologic status.Many factors combine to increase tracheal intubation difficulty in the trauma patient. Fluid management is especially challenging because of rapid, unpredictable changes in volume status and incomplete pre-operative resuscitation. The anesthesiologist is vital in overseeing the process of fluid resuscitation to optimize hemostasis and long-term survival. The anesthetic management of multiple trauma patients is very complex, requiring a good collaboration with trauma surgeon and other members of trauma team. To minimize anesthetic risk in the trauma victim, the anesthetist should know as much as possible about the extent of traumatic lesions and be aware about the exact surgical procedure and associated risks. The anesthetic plan have to take into consideration the resuscitation status and any co-existing diseases the patient may have choosing the optimal anesthetic medications and monitoring devices. Another critical role of the anesthesiologist is prevention of a second hit caused by recurrent shock or incomplete resuscitation.This presentation deals with assessment of a trauma patient coming for stat surgery.