Anesthesia for Patients with Extensive Trauma

Abstract

Trauma anesthesiology is a unique and growing subspecialty. With the growing number of adult and pediatric trauma centers in the United States, a thorough understanding of the early management of severely injured patients with trauma is an important aspect of anesthesia. Trauma anesthesiology requires the ability to adapt to different work environments, including the trauma bay, the operating room, and even the intensive care unit, where a patient room may require conversion to an operating suite for emergencies. This article provides a review of the anesthetic management for patients with extensive trauma, focusing on physiology, pharmacology, and bedside management.

Keywords: Emergency airway management; Hemorrhagic shock; Hypotensive resuscitation; Massive transfusion protocol; Permissive hypotension; Trauma anesthesia; Trauma anesthesiology.