The Role of Plastic Surgeons in Emergency Trauma Care
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Accidents happen, and in those unfortunate situations, emergency care can literally be a lifesaver! The thing about emergencies is they can happen anytime, leaving us in a helpless state and without knowing what to do next. Did you know one highly important aspect of emergency care is the inclusion of a plastic surgeon on your care team? Receiving prompt care from an experienced plastic surgeon can change the outcome of the emergency treatment you receive when it comes to injuries to the hands, face, or significant tissue damage.
Do not associate cosmetic treatments with plastic surgery! The specialization of plastic surgeons is much more broad, and it comes with a focus on reconstructive surgery. Their considerable training in emergency trauma care makes them particularly qualified to handle a variety of medical problems! As a result of this, they frequently play a crucial role in assisting patients in minimizing or avoiding permanent scarring and other abnormalities.
What’s the Role of Plastic Surgery in Emergency Trauma Care?
Did you know plastic surgery is not only about making cosmetic changes? Reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery are the two primary subspecialties of plastic surgery, and even though there is a lot of overlap between the two, these terms should not be used interchangeably! Reconstructive surgery is frequently done to restore function and normal appearance following a traumatic accident-related injury! Cosmetic surgery gets normally done to improve someone's look, but reconstructive surgery is regarded as a necessity for medical reasons.
Seriously harmed emergency room patients need a multidisciplinary team that includes a plastic surgeon.Due to their special training and expertise, plastic surgeons are often the best medical professionals to conduct certain types of ER operations. They are able to operate on injuries with precision because they possess a deeper grasp of soft tissues, the structure of the skin, and the connections between them than other surgeons! Additionally, plastic surgeons are better at coming up with creative solutions for correcting specific issues, such as replacing missing skin or burn treatment.
Reconstruction Surgery often Begins in the Emergency Room
Many think reconstruction surgery starts after the patient has healed! This is completely wrong. During trauma care, plastic surgeons are one of the most important medical professionals! Among the routine operations plastic surgeons carry out in the emergency room are burn treatment, carrying out facial repair following trauma, repair of maxillofacial and nasal fractures, and many more. Although skin grafting is typically performed after the original reconstructions are finished, it is still associated with emergency treatment follow-up.
Let us take a look at the trauma care for the most serious injuries that need the help of a plastic surgeon in the ER.
1. Burn Injury
Burn injuries can be lethal, but even when the patient survives, they can become disfigured for the rest of their lives. The excruciating experiences of a victim of a burn injury are not only physical but also psychological! Severe burn patients will almost always need to stay in the hospital for a long time and may require several surgeries, and that is why it is highly important to recognize the full extent of the care required for these individuals.
Extensive burns that are greater than 20%- 30% of the total body surface typically cause a systemic reaction in the body locally and systemically. Returning the look of the skin to its original state can be extremely difficult if the reconstruction process doesn’t start immediately! Burn treatment includes infection control, support of the hypermetabolic response, and early burn wound closure with skin grafts, all of which need the involvement of a plastic surgeon.
2. Facial Trauma
Receiving facial trauma can devastate a victim! Your face is the body part most susceptible to accident-related injuries, and as a result, treating these patients frequently calls for the expertise of plastic surgeons. Direct blunt or sharp trauma is usually the cause of the damage, which leads to facial deformities and soft tissue loss. Reconstructive scar surgery is typically needed for these injuries in order to correct the flaws.
To minimize permanent deformity, careful surgical intervention and repair processes are necessary for the treatment of lacerations near the eyes, nose, ears, and lips of the patient. The long-term result can be significantly impacted by even the smallest mistakes by the doctor! The doctor must offer proper treatment to heal the deep, underlying tissues, such as the fascia, muscle layers, facial nerves, and other parts.
3. Lower Limb Trauma
Lower limb trauma can alter the victim’s life long-term! That is because, if a lower limb injury is not properly treated, there is a significant chance of permanent, life-long consequences. Did you know when managing lower limb trauma, particularly in cases of severe damage with soft tissue loss linked to open leg fractures, plastic surgeons and orthopedic surgeons collaborate closely?
More importantly, another type of lower limb trauma that frequently requires the assistance of a plastic surgeon is pretibial lacerations, as direct closure is frequently challenging or unsatisfactory. Therefore, it is recommended to repair the pretibial laceration using a skin graft, local flap, or free flap during emergency care in order to promote proper healing!
Injury to the lower leg that results in a substantial loss of soft tissue is difficult to treat! This is due to the necessity of reconstructing the wound with strong tissues and getting rid of the infectious process at the same time, but if it fails, there is a disturbing chance that the patient will lose the damaged limb.
4. Upper Limb Trauma
Plastic surgeons are frequently consulted in the ER for the treatment of upper limb damage, especially involving the hands, and it is not just about scar surgery. In these cases, plastic surgeons help with the repair of tendons and nerves and the stitch-up processes of deep cuts. Rejoining severed fingers or thumbs is an uncommon but extremely challenging procedure that calls for a plastic surgeon especially skilled in reconstructive microsurgery!
Final Remarks
If you think plastic surgery is only about people going under the knife to look good, you should know, that is not the case at all! Due to their special training and expertise, plastic surgeons are often the best medical professionals to conduct a particular set of operations in the emergency room. That is because plastic surgeons are better at coming up with creative solutions for correcting flaws, such as missing skin and severe burns, for victims of horrible accidents!
Contact Medanta for emergency medical care by specialist doctors!
