neurosurgery --> trauma patients?

[neurochirrurgie]

In my hospital, trauma-neurorelated patients (head injury including the most minor, spinal cord injury) -whether they need surgery or not- will be admitted in neurosurgery's ward. But in some other hospital that I know, they are admitted in neurology's ward, and will be consulted to neurosurgery department if they need surgery.
Despite the extra work, I learn so much about trauma patients' management. And I consider this as an advantage of taking my residency at my hospital.

How about in your hospital?

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[mpp]

At our hospital all trauma is admitted by a dedicated trauma service. Neurosurgery is consulted for any abnormal head CT scan (surgical or otherwise). Any spine trauma is managed by either neurosurgery or orthopedics (we alternate weeks for trauma call between the two departments). We are never the primary service on trauma patients unless there is an entirely isolated head injury (e.g., self inflicted gun shot wound) but even then often trauma is the primaryservice.

 

[Malftap]

Our hospital is like mpp's. All trauma is admitted to the trauma service. Trauma service is good at my hospital in regards to admitting patients. Even with isolated injuries, trauma usually keeps them on their service for 24 hrs.

 

[Blake]

Same situation here. First admitted to trauma, with PRN consults to our service.

 

[Mortal_Lessons]

I was curious to know how much exposure one can get in critical care medicine as a neurosurgical resident. Along with the surgical aspect of NS, I'm interested in pathophysiology and was wondering if you get your fair share of medical management thinking while taking care of trauma patients on the NSICU? Also, is it fair to say that NS deals with the sickest patients in the hospital? Thanks.

 

[mpp]

You get a significant amount of training in neurocritical care as a neurosurgery resident but probably less than most general surgery residents. There is a dedicated 6 months on a dedicated ICU team in our program but you are pretty much doing some neurocritical care throughout your clinical years.

I'm not sure it is fair to say that any service has the sickest patients in the hospital all the time. Neuro patients can be very sick but if I had to pick the one "sickest" patient in the hospital at any one time it would more likely be on some service like liver transplant or vascular surgery.

 

[ventulus18]

our system operates with alternating ortho / neuro for spine call.

otherwise we have a rotating schedule for the ED to consult for non-operative head trauma between trauma, neurology, and neurosurgery.

trauma service takes everything as primary, unless it is isolated head trauma.