But most of his patients, he noted, suffer blunt trauma, such as injuries from falls or car accidents. He and his colleagues contend that the potential closure of the medical center could have meant dire consequences for the entire county. The elimination of the medical center would have jeopardized the regional emergency health care system, the article argues, by burdening hospitals throughout the area with complicated cases in daunting numbers.
Nontherapeutic studies aim to rule out certain conditions rather than to treat an existing problem.
By virtue of us having senior attending physicians and surgeons in house, we have been able to use some of these rule-out exams more selectively. In turn, they said, more careful management of cases and direct supervision by experienced faculty members would be required. Increased financial support for the trauma system could soon come from alternative sources, Cornwell said. Cornwell hopes that the situation changes for the better in the coming years.