Acute Severe Facial Injuries

Abstract

Acute severe trauma of the face usually brings three problems in emergency form: hemorrhage, inadequacy of the airway, and tetanus prophylaxis. Ordinarily, most of the immediate efforts are directed toward soft-tissue injuries. Allowing more time before treating extensive facial bone injuries permits the patient to recover from the original trauma and the surgeon to formulate his plan after thorough study of the situation. With few exceptions, acute severe facial injuries are tetanus-prone and must be treated accordingly.