Trauma Surgery

When you’re facing a life-threatening health situation, you can trust your care in our trauma surgeons’ hands. Sometimes called critical care or acute care, we have years of experience performing emergency surgeries that guide you through a critical injury or illness.
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Every second counts when saving lives

Every second counts when your health is on the line. No matter what brings you through our doors — from car accidents and falls to cardiac emergencies and appendicitis — you can count on our trauma team around the clock. We work with first responders, including paramedics and ambulance teams, to get you into our care as quickly and safely as possible. 

We also pride ourselves on teaching our community how to avoid accidents before they happen. From talks at schools and community groups to meetings with legislators, we’re dedicated to raising public awareness about trauma prevention.

Our trauma team is passionate about topics like:

  • Bicycle and pedestrian safety
  • Concussion awareness and education
  • Fall prevention
  • Impaired or drugged driving awareness
  • Sports and recreational injuries
Charles Cassidy, MD (Orthopaedist-in-Chief at Tufts Medical Center) performing hand surgery with help of team.
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Conditions

Trauma surgeons are trained to handle all kinds of serious injuries or illnesses. That may include, but isn’t limited to:
 
Acute traumatic injuries
Appendicitis
Chest wall trauma
Diverticulitis
Orthopedic trauma
Trauma
Traumatic brain injury
Urological trauma

When to go to the emergency department

Visit an emergency department of the nearest hospital if you believe you're experiencing a potentially a life-threatening situation, such as:

  • Chest pain
  • Severe bleeding
  • Difficulty speaking
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Major trauma

Call 911 if you need immediate help. 
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Treatments

We want to help you as quickly as possible, so we'll first check your injury and its cause. Then, we'll talk to other experts to make sure you get the right treatment and care to save your life. Time is really important here, and fast action can make all the difference.

Orthopedic trauma

You deserve the best in orthopedic trauma care, when and where you need it. Orthopedic trauma — or a serious injury caused by an outside force like a fall or automobile accident — is one of the most common reasons people see a trauma surgeon. We'll act quickly and carefully to help you get back on the path to better health.
Minimally invasive orthopedic trauma surgery

Whenever possible, we’ll use minimally invasive orthopedic techniques like the following to help you heal.

  • Closed reduction: Moving bones back into position without cutting through skin.
  • Traction: Using weights or elastic bands to pull a bone into place. This method also helps stabilize the bone while it heals.
  • Cast or splint: Some fractures need only rest and ice as well as a possible brace, boot, splint or cast to support the broken bones while they heal.
Open reduction + internal fixation (ORIF) surgery

Sometimes, a surgical approach known as open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is required to reset and stabilize a broken bone.

After we return your bones to their proper place, we may use hardware like metal pins, plates, rods or screws to create a frame. This frame acts as a support system around the fracture to hold the bones in position.
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FAQs
What is the trauma registry at Tufts Medicine?

Your story matters to us. If you’re rushed by ambulance or helicopter to our trauma center, the details of how you got here and your recovery are crucial to helping others. That’s why we use a trauma registry to analyze and review the care we provide to every single patient who comes through our doors.

Together with you and your doctors, our trauma registrars will collect a wide range of information, like how you were injured and personal and demographic data. We’ll follow and record your progress, from the point you were injured to when you are ready to return home.

This data helps us learn, improve and save more lives. The information we collect is also shared, as required, with the state and federal government.
Physician Assistant, Rakhi Patel reviewing clinical information on a computer with nurses (Elizabeth Levesque, Delaney McCarthy and Fionna Donovan) in the neurology trauma unit at Tufts Medical Center.
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From regular office visits to inpatient stays, find the healthcare you need and deserve close to home.

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