APPROACH TO FACIAL TRAUMA IN POLYTRAUMATIZED PATIENTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/isevmjv4n6-005Keywords:
Facial Trauma, Polytraumatized Patient, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rigid Osteosynthesis, ATLS, Mandibular Fractures, Microsurgery, Damage ControlAbstract
Facial trauma in polytraumatized patients is a highly complex condition that requires a robust interdisciplinary approach, frequently associated with traffic accidents and high-energy injuries. This narrative review analyzes current management strategies, emphasizing the prioritization of hemodynamic stabilization and airway maintenance according to Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocols, often postponing definitive facial treatment under the Damage Control doctrine. The findings indicate the superiority of surgical intervention with rigid osteosynthesis over conservative treatment in reducing functional and aesthetic sequelae, such as malocclusion and asymmetry. The study discusses specific challenges, such as the management of fractures in atrophic mandibles (which may require bone grafting according to the Luhr classification) and the need for immediate microsurgical replantation in cases of traumatic amputations.
References
Boljevic, T., Pelicic, D., Terzic, Z., & Bojic, M. (2023). Complications in patients with facial bone fractures before and after conservative and surgical treatment, their comparison and correlation with different factors. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 27(22), 11073–11081. https://doi.org/10.26355/eurrev_202311_34472
Cienfuegos, R. (2023). Tratamiento de fracturas en mandíbula atrófica. Cirugía y Cirujanos, 91(2), 240–246. https://doi.org/10.24875/CIRU.22000303
Ghanaati, S. (2022). Focus on craniomaxillofacial injuries in trauma patients. European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, 48(4), 2511–2512. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-022-02008-6
Hohman, M. H., Patel, B. C., & Waseem, M. (2025). Le Fort fractures. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
Rittri, S., Larsson, A., Larsson, J., & Halle, M. (2024). Akut replantation efter amputationsskador i ansiktet. Läkartidningen, 121, 24059.
Shreya, S., Baliga, S. D., & Baliga, S. S. (2022). Sports-related facial trauma in the Indian population - A systematic review. Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, 40(1), 3–8. https://doi.org/10.4103/jisppd.jisppd_134_22
Wiles, M. D. (2015). ATLS: Archaic Trauma Life Support? Anaesthesia, 70(8), 893–906. https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.13166
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.