Handbook of Polytrauma Care and Rehabilitation summarizes the most frequent medical and psychological problems encountered by combat survivors and patients with concurrent injuries to the brain and other body systems. The book offers a roadmap for clinicians on how to initiate and follow through the continuum of care necessary to achieving positive outcomes. Individual chapters focus on the myriad problems and conditions that polytrauma patients present with including traumatic brain injury, concussion, spinal cord injury,, amputation, and PTSD, and other medical and psychological issues such as pain, depression, headache, insomnia, fatigue, alcohol and substance abuse, dizziness, light sensitivity, and work and family issues. Algorithms and detailed appendices provide guides for assessment and medical treatment that can be used in daily practice. Handbook of Polytrauma Care and Rehabilitation features: First handbook focused on polytrauma Practical, pocket-sized manual featuring real-world care for common problems Covers medical, physical, psychological, and vocational issues Easy to read text, with flow charts to highlight key concepts Authors work directly with the VA, military and academic sectors in the care of these patients

Covering the full spectrum of rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury, this practical reference by Drs. Blessen C. Eapen and David X. Cifu presents best practices and considerations for numerous patient populations and their unique needs. In an easy-to-read, concise format, it covers the key information you need to guide your treatment plans and help patients relearn critical life skills and regain their independence. - Covers neuroimaging, neurosurgical and critical care management, management of associated complications after TBI, pharmacotherapy, pain management, sports concussion, assistive technologies, and preparing patients for community reintegration. - Discusses special populations, including pediatric, geriatric, and military and veteran patients. - Consolidates today's available information and guidance in this challenging and diverse area into one convenient resource.

This guide to damage control surgery focuses on the decision-making process for managing polytrauma. Orthopedists, trauma surgeons, and emergency medicine physicians will learn how to effectively coordinate efforts. The book presents an overview of the damage control concept and the epidemiology of polytrauma injuries. Immunological changes, cascade reactions, and patient selection are discussed. Indications for life-saving procedures, damage control for truncal injuries, and damage control for extremities and pelvic fractures are outlined as well. The text also covers vascular injuries and secondary definitive procedures.

Advances in trauma care have accelerated over the past decade, spurred by the significant burden of injury from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Between 2005 and 2013, the case fatality rate for United States service members injured in Afghanistan decreased by nearly 50 percent, despite an increase in the severity of injury among U.S. troops during the same period of time. But as the war in Afghanistan ends, knowledge and advances in trauma care developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) over the past decade from experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq may be lost. This would have implications for the quality of trauma care both within the DoD and in the civilian setting, where adoption of military advances in trauma care has become increasingly common and necessary to improve the response to multiple civilian casualty events. Intentional steps to codify and harvest the lessons learned within the military's trauma system are needed to ensure a ready military medical force for future combat and to prevent death from survivable injuries in both military and civilian systems. This will require partnership across military and civilian sectors and a sustained commitment from trauma system leaders at all levels to assure that the necessary knowledge and tools are not lost. A National Trauma Care System defines the components of a learning health system necessary to enable continued improvement in trauma care in both the civilian and the military sectors. This report provides recommendations to ensure that lessons learned over the past decade from the military's experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq are sustained and built upon for future combat operations and translated into the U.S. civilian system.

This resource addresses all aspects of combat amputee care ranging from surgical techniques to long-term care, polytrauma and comorbidities such as traumatic brain injury and burns, pain management, psychological issues, physical and occupational therapy, VA benefits, prosthetics and adaptive technologies, sports and recreational opportunities, and return to duty and vocational rehabilitation.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a significant source of death and permanent disability, contributing to nearly one-third of all injury related deaths in the United States and exacting a profound personal and economic toll. Despite the increased resources that have recently been brought to bear to improve our understanding of TBI, the developme