Latin America trauma systems—Mexico and Brazil

Abstract

In this brief review, the authors describe the main characteristics of trauma systems in Latin America's 2 most populous countries, Mexico and Brazil. Trauma is a common health problem and the major cause of death in the young populations in both countries. Mexico and Brazil have well-organized systems based on system designation and prehospital triage. The highest level trauma hospitals are only available in the biggest cities, with residents of the smaller cities having less access to quality care. Both countries can provide adequate musculoskeletal trauma and polytrauma care, but the systems are not universally equal and, therefore, not ideal. The lack of consistency and standardization of the systems across each country must be addressed to improve patient outcomes across each country.

Management of soft-tissue coverage of open tibia fractures in Latin America: Techniques, timing, and resources

“…18,19 Demographic and socioeconomic factors, as well as diverse national healthcare systems in this region, contribute to the uneven distribution of musculoskeletal trauma care across centers, disproportionately impacting those in resource-limited settings. 6,[20][21][22][23][24] In this study, plastic surgeons in HICs were more commonly cited as the primary providers responsible for performing soft-tissue coverage than in MICs. Of note, 8% of respondents reported no access to orthopaedic or plastic surgeons to provide soft-tissue coverage for GA Type IIIB open tibia fractures, likely requiring the patient to be referred to a more well-equipped hospital with access to specialists and resources.…”

Pediatric trauma primary survey performance among surgical and non-surgical pediatric providers in a Brazilian trauma center

“… 21 A selective approach may be more feasible in countries with fewer resources, since CT scanning in such places can be very expensive or unavailable and the older scanners available deliver higher doses of radiation. 11 22 More research is needed to determine if this association is due to improved assessment alone or also due to increased severity among these patients as we were not powered to adjust for confounders among our secondary outcomes.…”

“…9 10 Despite the widespread availability of ATLS training, pediatric trauma center providers often have poor adherence to the ATLS protocol. 11 In Brazil, the majority of pediatric trauma care takes place in hospitals that do not have pediatric surgical specialists. In addition, not all pediatric specialists are trained in trauma.…”

“… 9 10 Despite the widespread availability of ATLS training, pediatric trauma center providers often have poor adherence to the ATLS protocol. 11 …”

Creación de capacidades para el desarrollo de liderazgo a los cirujanos ortopédicos en América Latina

“…1 Según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), América Latina tiene las tasas más altas de mortalidad por accidentes de tráfico per cápita que cualquier otra región del mundo. 2 América Latina cuenta con diversos sistemas de salud y distintos recursos según los países, 3 tiene una relativa ausencia de investigaciones específicas de la región que examinen la carga económica a causa de los traumatismos musculoesqueléticos. Esta falta de investigación procedente de América Latina contribuye a la escasez general de datos creíbles sobre las condiciones musculoesqueléticas en los países de ingresos bajos y medianos (PIBM).…”