Trauma Diagnosis: Multidisciplinary Management and Forensic Profiles—2nd Edition

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 1944

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Traumas are injuries of the body caused by the sudden and violent actions of external agents, leading to permanent or fatal consequences in the subjects involved (accidents, violence, etc.). The population involved in trauma belongs to all ages, ranging from children to geriatric victims, and is not differentiated by sex differences. There are many ways in which trauma can occur, whether accidental, suicidal or homicidal. When the cause is accidental, it specifically refers to falls, road accidents, crushing, falls from a height, pedestrian road accidents, or other such events. There are many professionals 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, 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 disciplinary 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 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 diverse and that research in this sense should be addressed to drawing up new applicative perspectives in the management and reconstruction of trauma.

The topics of the Special Issue 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.

Dr. Isabella Aquila
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • trauma
  • diagnosis, autopsy
  • forensic pathology
  • clinical trauma
  • brain injury
  • accident, fall
  • emergency
  • management of trauma
  • coma
  • death
  • injury
  • radiological investigation
  • surgical intervention
  • sepsis
  • violent
  • abuse
  • psychological trauma
  • drugs
  • toxicology
  • treatment of trauma
  • treatment of trauma
  • reconstruction of trauma
  • multidisciplinary profiles
  • pediatric trauma
  • resuscitation
  • surgery
  • data analysis
  • forensics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

13 pages, 1011 KiB  
Review
Clinical and Forensic Investigation Protocols for Diagnosing Abusive Head Trauma: A Literature Review
by Matteo Antonio Sacco, Saverio Gualtieri, Lucia Tarda, Pietrantonio Ricci and Isabella Aquila
Diagnostics 2023, 13(19), 3093; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics13193093 - 29 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1513
Abstract
Abusive head trauma (AHT) represents a very serious global public health problem. Prevention of these episodes is essential to reduce the morbidity and mortality of this phenomenon. All healthcare professionals should be able to recognize the signs of abuse. However, diagnosis is very [...] Read more.
Abusive head trauma (AHT) represents a very serious global public health problem. Prevention of these episodes is essential to reduce the morbidity and mortality of this phenomenon. All healthcare professionals should be able to recognize the signs of abuse. However, diagnosis is very complex as the signs are often blurred and cannot be recognized with certainty without carrying out adequate instrumental investigations. It has been calculated that approximately one-third of AHT cases remain undetected and require more than one medical visit to be correctly interpreted and diagnosed. On the other hand, the literature has recently also emphasized the problems related to possible false diagnoses of abuse and the numerous family and personal repercussions that follow from this issue. For these reasons, correct and timely recognition is essential to avoid the risk of recurrence of AHT and to start proper forensic investigations, in order to identify the offender or exonerate a suspect. The present work explores the most recent evidence of recent years in the field of AHT diagnostics through a literature review. The purpose of this article is to provide forensic pathologists with clear tools for diagnosis based on the literature. To this end, the review suggests clinical and forensic protocols aimed at the timely diagnosis of AHT in order to prevent abuse from remaining undetected. Full article
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