ABSTRACT
Vascular assessment of injured extremities is thus a critical component of the evaluation and management of trauma patients with blunt or penetrating trauma. Hard signs of vascular injury include active hemorrhage, an expanding hematoma, bruit over the wound, an absence of distal pulse, and ischemia in the extremity. The optimal management of extremity trauma continues to remain a challenge and of great interest to present-day trauma surgeons. The critically ill trauma patient should be considered for transfer to a level 1 or level 2 trauma center. The critical care management of the acutely ill trauma patient with extremity trauma needs to take into account the risk versus benefit ratio of limb salvage against the possible threat to life from limb salvage operations. The critical care management of the severely ill trauma patient with extremity trauma needs to take into account the risk to life from attempted limb salvage versus the likelihood of a viable functional limb.
