Major burns in adults: a practice review.

There are approximately 180 000 deaths per year from thermal burn injury worldwide. Most burn injuries can be treated in local hospitals but 6.5% require specialist burn care.

Critical care in the Emergency Department: organ donation.

Organ transplantation is associated with improved outcomes for some patients with end-stage organ failure; however, the number of patients awaiting a transplant exceeds the available organs. Recently, an extended role has been proposed for EDs in the recognition and management of potential donors. The present review presents an illustrative case report and considers current transplantation practice in the UK.

Critical care in emergency department: massive haemorrhage in trauma.

Inadequate resuscitation of major haemorrhage is an important cause of avoidable death in severely injured patients. Early recognition of blood loss, control of bleeding and restoration of circulating volume are critical to the management of trauma shock, and transfusion of blood components is a key intervention. Vital signs may be inadequate to determine the need for transfusion, and resuscitation regimens targeting vital signs may be harmful in the context of uncontrolled bleeding.