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Orthopaedic Emergencies: Traumas and their Treatment at MGM

• Horror movies are a dime a dozen today. Every country’s film industry makes at least half a dozen horror films every year. But what are the true horrors we face in reality? For most, horror comes in the form of their elderly grandfather slipping in the bathroom or their child meeting with an accident when riding their bike or their spouse suffering a serious occupational accident, all needing to be rushed to the hospital for medical care. Who are the saviours in these situations? A cohesive team of Emergency physicians and Orthopaedicians who work to give you and your loved ones the best possible care, while also working swiftly to minimise the damage.

• So, in an emergency, call 044-45242444 for an ambulance or come directly to MGM’s 24×7 Emergency Centre.

• When a person who has had a fall or has been involved in an accident on the road, on the playing field or at their workplace is brought to the Emergency Room, they are first examined and stabilised by the Emergency Physicians. While the Orthopaedicians are called in to take over, a basic set of X-rays and other relevant investigations are done to assess the person’s condition. Once the Orthopaedicians arrive, they first determine if the trauma/injury is a low velocity or high velocity type of injury. The type of accident, the patient’s history and their age as well plays an important part in this assessment and the subsequent treatment plan. Orthopaedic injuries include any injury to the musculoskeletal system — fractures, dislocations, amputations, sports injuries, muscle, ligament and tendon injuries, cuts and lacerations.

So, what are low velocity and high velocity injuries?

• Here’s a simple table to help you understand the difference between the two types of injuries.

LOW VELOCITY INJURY

• Where there is only one type of injury, like a fracture or a dislocation or a ligament tear

• Geriatric falls and minor accidents constitute this type of injury

HIGH VELOCITY INJURY

• Where there are a number of injuries involving other systems of the body, like abdominal injuries and neurological injuries

• Major road traffic accidents and injuries resulting in amputation of extremities constitute this type of injury

• Once the Orthopaedicians have identified the type of injury, the next step is to assess the patient and then formulate a treatment plan. In the case of low velocity injuries, based on the diagnosis and the age of the patient, a decision is made if the patient requires surgery or non-surgical interventions like closed/open reduction, physical therapy and so on. Nowadays, many surgeries are done with a minimally invasive approach to speed up the healing process and minimise the duration of hospitalisation.

• In the case of high velocity injuries, the universal approach is to deploy the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) programme. When the patient’s injuries are severe, the doctors have to look beyond the obvious injuries and do a holistic assessment of the patient’s airway, breathing, circulation and so on, to ensure that no major injuries are missed. This assessment takes about ten minutes. Then the call of how to treat the patient is taken and which other specialties, like Neurosciences or General Surgery, need to be involved. Some patients might need immediate surgery while some others might not need orthopaedic intervention at all. At MGM Healthcare, different specialties work in an integrated manner to provide the best care for the patient.

• Expert medical professionals and advanced techniques, procedures and technologies in today’s world help make handling traumas with precision and speed a much-needed reality in this business of saving lives.

• Good medicine is when you treat the patient and not the X-ray.