Management of vascular trauma

Preview

The young teacher was trying to stop a fight. A knife flashed. Bright arterial blood spurted from a gaping neck wound. Someone applied pressure with a compress. The paramedics arrived. In the nearest hospital emergency department, the surgical resident carefully took off the dressing and put a finger in the wound to stop the bleeding. Within minutes the teacher would be in the operating room for repair of the carotid artery. Just a routine case… today. The authors of this article detail the steps involved in the now “routine” repair of what were once potentially fatal or crippling injuries.