title: Prehospital trauma care: a clinical review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are many controversies related to the trauma patient care during the pre-hospital period nowadays. Due to the heterogeneity of the rescue personnel and variability of protocols used in various countries, the benefit of the prehospital advanced life support on morbidity and mortality has been not established.
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic review of the literature using computer search of the Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health International PubMed Medline database using Entre interface.We reviewed the literature in what concerns the basic and advanced life support given to the trauma patients during the prehospital period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although the organization of the medical emergency system varies from a country to another, the level of patient'scare can be classified into two main categories: Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS).There are many studies addressing what to be done at the scene.The prehospital care can be divided into two extremes: stay and play/treat then transfer or scoop and run/load and go.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A balance between "scoop and run" and "stay and play" is probably the best approach for trauma patients. The chosen approach should be made according to the mechanism of injury (blunt versus penetrating trauma), distance to the trauma center (urban versus rural) and the available resources.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania. drmirceabeuran@yahoo.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beuran
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paun
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gaspar
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vartic
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hostiuc
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiotoroiu
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Negoi
mesh_terms: D061906:Advanced Trauma Life Support Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000552:Ambulances / Q000458:organization & administration; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D012383:Romania; D013997:Time Factors; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000458:organization & administration; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*