The Trauma Pro Blog
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My name is Michael McGonigal, and I'm the Emeritus Director of Trauma Services for the adult. Through this site my goal is to share the tips and tricks I've picked up over the years, let you know about new and interesting ideas, warn you about bad ones, and in general, just have fun spreading practical knowledge about trauma.
The Trauma Pro Blog
4d ago
Here’s the last one… for now. If you have followed this blog for any period of time, you are aware of the skepticism I bring to bear when I am reading new material or learning about new ideas. Why is this? Because it is very difficult in this day and age to ascertain the veracity ..read more
The Trauma Pro Blog
1w ago
Several years ago, I ran a series of posts on my Laws of Trauma. I assembled them into newsletter that contained all nine that existed at the time. If you’d like to download it, just click this link. I’ve been struck by another pattern, and I think it’s about time to add the tenth law ..read more
The Trauma Pro Blog
1w ago
Okay, here’s another one! But it’s a doozy. It’s the most important one I live by. It ensures that you don’t get bogged down by habit, custom, dogma, ignorance, or just plain laziness. Question everything! If someone ever says, “but that’s the way I/we always do it,” or “that’s what the policy says,” or even ..read more
The Trauma Pro Blog
1w ago
All trauma professionals need to keep up with the current thinking in their field. There are a variety of ways to do this, including lectures, courses, online curricula, meetings, and reading journal articles. The last method requires a bit of skill and patience. Many research papers are dry, long, and hard to read. Quite a ..read more
The Trauma Pro Blog
2w ago
Healthcare is a complex affair, and sometimes things don’t go entirely as planned. Occasionally, an elective OR may not be available the next day. This is especially true now in the COVID age with hospitals decreasing their OR capabilities. Or it may take longer than usual to medically clear a frail patient for surgery. But ..read more
The Trauma Pro Blog
2w ago
Here’s another one. I’ve seen the clinical problems and poor outcomes that can arise from ignoring it many times over the years. You’ve ordered a CT or a conventional x-ray image. The result comes back in your EMR. You take a quick glance at the summary at the bottom of the report. No abnormal findings ..read more
The Trauma Pro Blog
2w ago
Here’s my first pediatric-specific law. Any time I give a pediatric talk, I mention it. This one applies to anyone who takes care of children, and is particularly important to EMS / prehospital providers and emergency physicians. On occasion, medics are called to a home to treat a child in extremis, or occasionally in arrest ..read more
The Trauma Pro Blog
3w ago
You’ve just received a young male who had been stabbed under his right arm in your emergency department. He’s awake, talking, and very friendly. He met your trauma activation criteria, so you are cruising through the full evaluation. Lines in, blood drawn, clothes off. He wonders aloud if all this is really necessary. Then, on ..read more
The Trauma Pro Blog
3w ago
Trauma patients don’t always behave the way we would like. They continually surprise us, sometimes for the better, when they recover more quickly and completely than we thought. But sometimes, it’s for the worse. They occasionally crash when we think everything is going so well. The crashing patient is obviously in need of help, and ..read more
The Trauma Pro Blog
3w ago
There are two broad categories of things that kill trauma patients. No, I’m not talking about violent penetrating injury, falls, car crashes, or any other specific mechanisms. I am referring to the end events (on a macro scale) that take their lives. These two basic killers are: hemorrhage and brain injury. The vast majority of the ..read more