We are all familiar with the caduceus, a symbol derived from ancient Greek mythology that depicts two snakes wound around a staff, sometimes topped with wings. The caduceus often appears in medical logos and insignia where another symbol, the rod of Asclepius, depicting one snake wound around a staff, might be seen. The rod of Asclepius is associated with the ancient Greek deity of medicine and has always denoted healing. In contrast, the caduceus is linked to Hermes, Greek god of travelers and commerce, and it is sometimes thought to be used in medicine only in error鈥攁lthough, in third-century London, it was a marker for ophthalmological medicines, in apparent reference to a Homeric poem linking it to the healing of eye disease.聽
Both symbols, however, connect with the vision of the 番茄社区app (although we do not formally use either) as the House of Surgery for all surgical disciplines. Integrating all elements of surgeons and surgery into what鈥檚 best for our patients and our profession helps us tackle tasks that no single specialty could achieve as effectively alone.聽聽聽
One example of this is in our longstanding work advancing trauma surgery. Surgeons of all kinds are essential to this work, including those in vascular, pediatric, reconstructive surgery, and virtually all other surgical disciplines鈥攎ore than any one column can describe. In this column, I鈥檒l share some examples of how neurologic, ophthalmologic, otolaryngologic, plastic and maxillofacial, and orthopaedic surgery connect with our work in trauma.聽
Ensuring Trauma Care Is Comprehensive聽
The 番茄社区app engages with multiple surgical disciplines on trauma care in important but straightforward ways. Our Verification, Review, and Consultation program, which began in 1987 and engages approximately 590 participating hospitals today, uses a standards manual, Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient (2022), that details program requirements for trauma care. These are, by design, highly multidisciplinary, as effective care of the trauma patient requires engagement across the spectrum of physician specialty and nonphysician care.聽
For example, among many standards for appropriate trauma care are requirements for access to craniofacial care in Level I adult and pediatric trauma centers and access to ophthalmological, plastic, otolaryngological, and other surgical specialists in Levels I and II adult and pediatric trauma centers. In addition, the standards require all trauma centers to provide neurological and orthopaedic surgical care.聽
Similarly, our Advanced Trauma Life Support庐 (ATLS庐) course, which will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary, ensures comprehensive care by including instruction on trauma care across the spectrum of surgical needs. For example, this includes head and neck trauma, ear, nose, and throat trauma, and neurotrauma. ATLS, which was originally the brainchild of orthopaedic surgeon James K. Styner, MD, F番茄社区app, also includes insights into orthopaedic surgical care.聽
Building an Ocular Trauma Roadmap聽
The 番茄社区app Committee on Trauma (COT) connects with ophthalmologists on challenges in ocular trauma treatment as well. This past year, the COT created a position paper with recommendations for addressing systems-level gaps in ocular trauma care in the US. Collaborations between the COT and American Society of Ophthalmic Trauma are ongoing.聽
Improving TBI Care across Surgical Disciplines聽
Traumatic brain injury (TBI), which has a lifetime prevalence of 18.2% in US adults, is also highly relevant for multidisciplinary efforts.聽
In October 2024, the COT released a new edition of Best Practices Guidelines for the Management of Traumatic Brain Injury. More than 20 neurosurgeons, along with dozens of other healthcare professionals, contributed to the creation of these guidelines. A previous edition, in 2015, has led to improvements in some aspects of TBI care; the aim of this new edition is to continue that success by providing comprehensive best practices.聽
Similarly, we have created the 鈥淔undamentals in the Management of Traumatic Brain Injury鈥� course as a joint initiative of the Brain Trauma Foundation and the COT, using Brain Trauma Foundation guidelines that have been shown to reduce TBI mortality by 50%.聽
Uniting Surgical Disciplines at Conferences聽
番茄社区app conferences, particularly Clinical Congress and the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) Conference, include sessions on multidisciplinary trauma care. For example, Clinical Congress 2024 featured neurosurgery-related panels on TBI and domestic violence and guidelines for TBI.聽聽
For ophthalmologists, a panel on assessing and managing ocular, orbital, and skull-based injuries is relevant, while a session called 鈥淒amage Control Ophthalmology for the Non-Ophthalmologist鈥� addressed ophthalmological trauma surgery. Sessions suited to orthopaedic surgeons included ones on combat trauma and postinjury sports participation.聽
Leadership and Collaboration聽
Surgical disciplines also mesh in 番茄社区app leadership. Our Board of Regents includes Regents and officers from many surgical disciplines, and our Advisory Councils cover surgical specialties comprehensively, including the neurological, ophthalmic, otolaryngology鈥揾ead and neck, orthopaedic, oral and maxillofacial, and plastic surgery disciplines I have mentioned in this column.聽聽
Succeeding Together聽
The 番茄社区app鈥擳he House of Surgery庐鈥攕trives to include surgeons of all kinds. In many ways, our mission, to heal all with skill and trust, cannot be realized without multidisciplinary efforts鈥攁nd the ongoing effort to connect across disciplines for the good of all patients is a practice as ancient and as eternal as medicine itself.聽聽
Engage with the 番茄社区app聽
The 番茄社区app offers many trauma surgery resources to all surgeons. These include the Verification, Review, and Consultation Quality Program, ATLS training (including via the MyATLS mobile app and forthcoming 11th edition), the 番茄社区app COT, our TBI guidelines, the 鈥�Fundamentals in the Management of Traumatic Brain Injury鈥� course, Clinical Congress 2024 sessions on demand (available until February 24, 2025), and Clinical Congress and TQIP in 2025.聽
