Trauma team activation criteria for potential major trauma in the adult population: a narrative review

Abstract

Traumatic disease is a common cause of death and disability in the young population. The presence of a trauma team ensures the quality of patient management, thus improving patient outcomes. Therefore, triage is an essential part of trauma care, especially for potential major trauma patients, who present significant challenges due to the lack of universal and centralized criteria. This narrative review aimed to present an overview of the main studies conducted thus far, focusing on the screening of adult patients in both prehospital and in-hospital settings, along with the latest guidelines published in 2021. Our approach involved a nonsystematic literature review, with a particular emphasis on systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies published in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. We analyzed the different tools proposed for patient screening and incorporated them into our protocol for triaging potential trauma patients who could benefit from early trauma team activation. In conclusion, our review underscores the importance of incorporating accurate physiological criteria and suspected injury patterns into a trauma team activation protocol. We also highlight the ongoing challenges in refining the mechanistic aspects of trauma and special considerations. Moving forward, continued research with new machine learning models and collaboration among trauma experts may be crucial for enhancing the precision and effectiveness of trauma triage, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes and optimal resource allocation.

Keywords

Trauma centers / Trauma severity indices / Triage/adult / Triage/methods

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Author contributions

Garrido Callén A, Vasco Castaño D, González Gómez M, Merino Vega CD, and Pérez Marquéz M performed the research. Garrido Callén A, Muñoz Varea M, Bardal Ruiz A, López Cuenca S, Pellicer AM, and Pérez Torres M wrote the paper. Cui Liu CJ, Fenandéz Martín-Caro J, and Maqueda Lluva D revised and translated the paper.

Funding

None.

Ethical approval of studies and informed consent

Not applicable.

Acknowledgments

None.

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