Trauma-Rama Part 3: Thoracoabdominal Trauma- Don’t Bust a Gut

Trauma to the chest or abdomen can put you and your patient in a tough spot. This region contains three places where the patient can bleed to death and also lots of prime real estate that doesn’t want to be radiated. So how do we know who needs imaging and what imaging do they need? All that and a whole lot more!

References

Decision rules for blunt chest and abdominal trauma (that lack external validation)

A review of chest trauma injury patterns

Chest X-Ray vs. Chest CT in blunt chest trauma

Think before you put a chest tube in a stable patient

A negative abdominal CT is a good rule out test

If you are not going to CT, can labs help rule out an injury? (spoiler alert: NO)

A UA is good at the extremes for ruling in or out a urologic injury

In the right patients, FAST is very specific but insensitive

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound as a possible alternative to CT?