Pediatric emergency medicine trisk 3364 3364

CHAPTER 110 ■ MINOR TRAUMA
CHRISTINE S. CHO

GOALS OF EMERGENCY CARE
Each year, an estimated 12 million wounds are treated in emergency departments
(EDs) in the United States. The first priority is stabilization of patients who have
sustained trauma and recognizing significant injuries. The care of minor injuries
focuses on addressing pain, evaluating associated injuries, and wound closure.
The key drivers in optimal wound repair are obtaining hemostasis, preventing
infection, and achieving the best long-term cosmesis while minimizing pain and
anxiety. Patient and parental satisfaction is driven in the short term by timeliness
of care, length of stay, and minimizing pain, and in the long term by avoidance of
complications, including infection, hypertrophic scarring or keloid formation, and
poor cosmetic results.
KEY POINTS