The relationship between scores and outcomes for polytrauma patients in the emergency department. A case study.

Aim: Traumas are one of the most relevant pathological events in health care, because of clinical and prognostic relevance. Morbidity and mortality rates are strongly affected by the timely and correct approach to the patient (golden hour). The objective of this study was to investigate the possible influence of the diagnostic time and of the Injury Severity Score (ISS) on outcomes in trauma patients.

[How to manage disasters: learning from recent experiences in the Emergency Department of a University Teaching Hospital, Italy].

The medical approach to disasters has been always a problematic issue for emergency departments. The authors of this paper reflect on possible efficient solutions for managing a massive influx of casualties in an Emergency Department, by analysing the responses to previous local catastrophic events, such as the collision of 'Segesta Jet', the great fire of Patti, the floods of Giampilieri/Scaletta and Saponara. The authors' point to a need for providing more extensive training of medical students in clinical aspects of disaster medicine.