Trauma Diagnosis: Multidisciplinary Management and Forensic Profiles

Dear Colleagues,

Traumas are injuries of the body caused by the sudden and violent action of external agents, leading to permanent or fatal consequences in the subjects involved (accidents, violence, etc.). The population involved belongs to all ages, from childhood to geriatric, without sex differences. There are many ways in which trauma can occur: accidental, suicidal or homicidal. When the cause is accidental, it specifically refers to falls, road accidents, crushing, falls from a height, or pedestrian road accidents. There are many figures involved in the management of the traumatized patient or traumatic brain injury. The consequences of trauma in accidental cases can be minor but, in severe cases, they can lead to coma or death. Injuries can involve many districts and systems, and often require radiological investigations and surgical interventions. Since there are multiple anatomical localizations involved, there are also numerous specialized areas in which a traumatized subject may find him/herself managed. Based on the anatomical location and severity of the trauma, the patient who is managed as a whole could have septic or coagulation complications. Where the cause is violent (abuse, sexual violence or mistreatment) or the outcome is fatal, the analysis of the trauma assumes different characteristics and, for forensic and judicial purposes, it becomes essential to reconstruct the trauma, analyze its characteristics and determine its psychological impact, extent and timing, especially for the latter field of application—patients who die after long hospitalizations with diffuse brain damage. Additionally, in this context, evaluation of the ways in which the trauma occurred, in particular when it comes to minors or traumas occurring in association with drug or alcohol abuse, plays a crucial role. In particular, in the evaluation of those who cause the traumatic injury, the analysis of biological traces becomes relevant. It is clear that the fields of application in trauma are diversified and research in this sense should be addressed in order to draw up new applicative perspectives in the management and reconstruction of trauma.

The topics of the Special Issue will concern: trauma management, analysis and diagnosis of trauma, treatment of trauma, reconstruction of the dynamics of trauma, description of the timing of the trauma, and multidisciplinary assessment of trauma.

The specialized branches involved are: Forensic medicine and forensic pathology, Pathological anatomy, Pediatrics, General and specialist surgery, Maxillofacial surgery, Anesthesia and resuscitation, Neurology, Translational medicine, Pulmonology, Cardiology, Infectious diseases, Urology, Physiatry, Orthopedics, Psychiatry, Geriatrics, Internal Medicine, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Gastroenterology and hepatology, Nephrology, Cardiac surgery, Neurosurgery, Toxicology, Genetics, Biology, Psychology, Clinical chemistry, Computer engineering, Sports medicine, Rehabilitation medicine, Neuroradiology, Forensic entomology, Forensic veterinary, and Forensic anthropology.

Prof. Dr. Isabella Aquila
Guest Editor

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