What if you suffer a serious injury (Traumatic Injury) in an accident? Let's talk about this in detail!

Imagine that you or someone you know has been in a serious accident. Perhaps it was a road accident, a fall from a height, or something completely unexpected. In medical terms, these serious, life-threatening injuries are what we call a "traumatic injury." It can be more serious than you think, so it's important to be aware of them.

What is a traumatic injury?

Simply put, this refers to any serious physical injury . This injury can cause a lot of bleeding or serious head injury. Such injuries are very common in countries like the United States. In Sri Lanka, we often see accidents in the newspapers and on TV, don't we? Such injuries can happen at home, at work, on the road, while driving a car, or even while walking. Most of these injuries are caused by falls and traffic accidents . However, serious injuries can also occur from someone being punched, stabbed, shot, or hit with a heavy object. These are medical emergencies . If you think you or someone else has suffered a serious injury like this, you should call 119 immediately and call an ambulance . Such an injury can be life-changing. It can have a big impact on your life and the lives of those who care for you. It takes time to heal. Sometimes, it takes a long time to heal. Therefore, it is very important to be patient , both with yourself and with those around you.

What are the main types of injuries like this?

Doctors classify these traumatic injuries based on how they occur and the effect they have on the body. There are three main types:

1. Blunt force traumatic injury

This is the most common type of injury . It occurs when something hits your body with force. Think of it like falling from a height, being hit by someone in a fight. This can lead to broken bones, internal bleeding, bleeding from deep wounds, or a severe concussion.

2. Injuries caused by a sudden decrease in speed (Deceleration traumatic injury)

This happens when you are moving at a high speed and then suddenly stop. For example, if you are driving a car at high speed and suddenly hit something, your head can go forward and hit the steering wheel. This can cause your brain to bounce back and forth inside your skull, causing brain damage .

3. Penetrating traumatic injury

This is when something sharp pierces the skin and enters the body. For example, a gunshot wound, a knife stab, or a sharp object falling on you, or shrapnel from a bomb explosion can cause this type of injury.

What is a major traumatic injury?

Generally, a 'major traumatic injury' is defined as multiple, life-threatening injuries to multiple parts of your body at the same time. Doctors use a standard method to determine this. It's called the Injury Severity Score (ISS) .

How is the severity of injuries measured? (Injury Severity Score - ISS)

This `ISS` system allows doctors to make decisions about every injury in the same way, without treating each one differently. For example, if you have a traumatic injury, this scoring system is used to decide whether to keep you in the hospital or transfer you to a specialized `trauma center`. In this, doctors look at the following things:

• Number of wounds : Check how many wounds you have on these parts of your body:
• Head and neck
• Face
• Throat
• Abdomen and pelvis
• Hands and legs
• Skin
• Severity of injury: Injuries can be minor, moderate, serious, very serious, critical, and maximal or untreatable. The more severe the injury, the higher the score. For example, a minor injury is scored as one. A score of six means that the injury is so serious that there is no treatment that can prevent death.

Here's how the `ISS` score is calculated: Doctors identify the three most severely injured parts of your body. Then, they use a six-point severity scale to score the most severe injuries in those three parts. Then, they square the scores and add them together to get the `ISS` score. This score can range from 3 to 75. An `ISS` score of 15 or more is considered a `major traumatic injury.' This may seem complicated, but it helps doctors provide the best treatment for the patient.

What kind of illnesses can result from these types of injuries?

Traumatic injuries can cause a variety of illnesses. Some of them are:

• Broken bones , spinal fractures
• Collapsed lungPneumothorax)
• Compartment syndrome: This occurs when the pressure inside the tissues of certain parts of the body increases excessively, obstructing blood flow through them.
• Deep cuts
• Electric shock
• Flail chest: In this, several ribs in the chest are broken in a row, causing difficulty breathing due to the paradoxical movement of that part of the chest when breathing.
• Head injuries: Examples include epidural hematoma, skull fracture, subarachnoid hemorrhage, subdural hematoma, or traumatic brain injury (TBI) .
• Hemorrhage
• Myocardial contusion
• Severe concussion
• Severe hypovolemia / Hypovolemic shock: This is a shock condition caused by excessive loss of blood or fluid from the body.
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic abdominal injuries: For example, internal bleeding can occur due to damage to organs such as the duodenum, pancreas, or spleen.
• Traumatic amputation is the loss of a limb, such as an arm or leg, due to an accident.
• Aorta rupture `(Ruptured aorta)`

What are the symptoms of these injuries?

Symptoms vary greatly depending on how the injury occurred and the impact on the body . For example, if there is a deep cut after a car accident, you may see blood oozing out. Sometimes a broken bone may be visible through the skin (a compound fracture) . In a condition called ``flail chest``, the chest hurts when you breathe and it is difficult to breathe. If you have a head injury, you may lose consciousness, vomit, or be unable to speak.

How do you treat injuries like this?

There are several basic treatment steps. Sometimes called the ABCDE method . The steps are:

• A - Airway: First, doctors will check to see if there is anything blocking your airway (respiratory tract) or if there is any reason why you can't breathe .
• B - Breathing:Next, they will check to see if you are breathing properly, whether you have a collapsed lung (pneumothorax), and whether your endotracheal tube is in place.
• C - Circulation: If there are any wounds that are bleeding externally, they are treated immediately. They also check for internal bleeding and signs of shock.
• D - Disability (nervous system disorder): Next, they test to see if there is any problem with the nervous system or if there is any damage to the spinal cord.
• E - Exposure (Full Examination): Finally, all your clothes are removed and every nook and cranny of your body is thoroughly examined, looking for any other injuries and making sure nothing is missed .

Doctors treat the most life-threatening injuries first. Often, that means a trauma surgeon performs emergency surgery to treat life-threatening injuries or conditions.

The treatment you receive will depend on the specific injuries you have sustained. Your trauma surgeon may also seek the help of other specialists as needed. For example:

• If the blood vessels are injured, vascular surgeons (surgeons who specialize in blood vessels) will be called.
• If the bones are injured, orthopedic surgeons (surgeons who specialize in bone diseases) will be consulted.
• If there is a brain injury , neurosurgeons (surgeons who specialize in the nervous system) will be called.

You will need to continue treatment throughout your recovery. For example:

• Physical therapy: Restore body function.
• Occupational therapy: Learn to do daily tasks on your own.
• Mental health support: It's hard to cope after a major accident like this. It's important to get help for mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) .

Can't accidents like this be prevented?

Of course, not all traumatic injuries can be prevented. However, there are things we can do to reduce our risk. For example, traffic accidents are a major cause of these injuries. So, by always wearing a seatbelt and not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (and sometimes even prescription medications), you can reduce your risk of injury in an accident. Small things like being careful on the road and thinking about safety when doing household chores can make a big difference.

Finally, things you need to remember

A traumatic injury can happen in an instant. However, it can take months, even years, of ongoing medical care and support to heal. In addition to immediate medical treatment, such as emergency surgery, further surgery or other treatments may be needed later.

When something like this happens, even though the physical wounds heal, the emotional scars take time to heal, and can last a lifetime. If you are struggling with the consequences of such a serious injury, or if you are feeling overwhelmed by it, please seek help from a doctor or mental health counselor . You are not alone, and never be ashamed to ask for help.

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` Injuries, accidents, emergency treatment, first aid, surgery, health, safety