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The Missed Injury: A ‘Preoperative Complication’

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Patient Safety in Surgery

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Abstract

Multiply injured patients are very difficult to assess. Numerous factors may contribute to the appearance of missed injuries: patient’s level of consciousness, presence of life threatening injuries, education status of attending surgeon. The Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocol provides a standardized approach to severely injured patients. However, studies indicate that relevant injuries are undetected after primary and secondary survey. These may affect treatment strategies and the outcome of surgical procedures. This chapter summarizes the incidence of undetected injuries, demonstrates the current literature and describes strategies to minimize the clinical appearance.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Trauma, University Hospital Aachen, 30 Pauwels street, Aachen, 52074, Germany

    Roman Pfeifer MD & Hans-Christoph Pape

Authors
  1. Roman Pfeifer MD
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  2. Hans-Christoph Pape
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Correspondence to Roman Pfeifer MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Philip F. Stahel

  2. Department of Orthopaedics, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Cyril Mauffrey

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Pfeifer, R., Pape, HC. (2014). The Missed Injury: A ‘Preoperative Complication’. In: Stahel, P., Mauffrey, C. (eds) Patient Safety in Surgery. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4369-7_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4369-7_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4368-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-4369-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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