J Natl Med Assoc
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Trauma is the fourth leading cause of death for all Americans, with a mortality rate of 61 deaths per 100,000 people. Although the definitive place for the management of major abdominal or thoracic hemorrhage, as well as neurologic or orthopedic problems, is the operating room in a tertiary care hospital, trauma is a time-related disease, and the more quickly hemorrhage is controlled and appropriate management initiated, the better the outcome. ⋯ Once the airway is cleared, any anatomical or physiologic compromise that limits ventilation is identified and corrected, hemorrhage is controlled, and the cervical spine, if injury is suspected, is protected. The secondary survey (Part 2) is a comprehensive examination.