Hartford Hospital

Learn About Conditions and Procedures

What is Trauma?

What is Trauma?Trauma is a serious injury or shock to the body. It is caused by a physical force such as violence or an accident. The injury may be complicated by psychiatric, behavioral, and social factors.

It is critical to have an entire team immediately available to provide care to an injured patient 24-hours a day. This teamwork starts at the scene of the injury where a coordinated, statewide pre-hospital medical system rapidly transports the injured patient from the scene to the hospital providing the appropriate level of care according to criteria established in the statewide trauma regulations. Once at the hospital, a complete team of surgeons, emergency physicians and nurses continue the life-saving treatment.

This team approach to care of the injured patient has had a dramatic impact on saving lives.

Minimally Invasive Procedures for Massive Bleeding

Injuries take many forms. The most advanced hospitals can treat injuries with a variety of approaches that involve well-known ones, like surgery, and newer ones where minimally invasive procedures can replace some surgeries.

As a Level 1 Trauma Center, Hartford Hospital has Interventional Radiologists as part of the Trauma Team. They perform procedures such as "embolization" which is a recognized interventional radiology technique that is used to treat trauma patients with massive bleeding.

Click here to see some of the advanced interventional techniques available at Hartford Hospital



Learn more about trauma, or search below to learn about other health conditions.

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Peripheral Vascular Ultrasound

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Definition | Reasons for Test | Possible Complications | What to Expect | Call Your Doctor

Definition

Peripheral vascular ultrasound is a test used to evaluate the health of blood vessels. Ultrasound uses sound waves to capture images of structures inside the body. It is similar to the use of sonar in submarines.

Reasons for Test

The test may be used to investigate the cause of the following symptoms:

  • Pain
  • Swelling
  • Increased warmth or coolness in the extremity
  • Difficulty finding pulses
  • Bulging veins

It may also be used to diagnose the cause or severity of:

  • Poor circulation due to blocked or narrowed blood vessels
  • Blood clots
  • Poor blood vessel function

Leg Veins

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Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.

The procedure is also used to evaluate the results of vascular surgery.

Possible Complications

There are no major complications associated with this test.

What to Expect

No special preparation is needed for this test.

Gel will be placed on the skin of your arm or leg over the area being tested.

There are two types of ultrasound:

One is a simple one-dimensional beam that detects movement by making a swishing sound. A hand-held device is pushed against your skin in the area being tested. Sound waves are sent into the body and bounce back to the machine. This is used to detect blood flow in arteries that may be narrowed. It may also be used to check for blood flow in veins that the doctor is concerned about.

The other technique makes a two-dimensional image. The ultrasound machine has a hand-held instrument called a transducer, which looks like a microphone or wand. The transducer is pushed against your skin where the gel was applied. The transducer sends sound waves into your body. The waves bounce off structures in the body and echo back to the transducer. The echoes are converted to images that are shown on a screen. The doctor examines the images on the screen. He may make a photograph of them as well.

You will be able to leave after the test is done.

30-60 minutes

No

The results will let your doctor know if you need further testing or treatment.

Call Your Doctor

Call your doctor if you have any questions about the test, your condition, or your test results.

If you think you have an emergency, call for medical help right away.

RESOURCES:

American Heart Association

http://www.heart.org

Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound

http://www.sru.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Mount Sinai Hospital, Canada

http://www.mtsinai.on.ca

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

http://www.heartandstroke.ca

References:

Vascular ultrasound. John Hopkins Medicine website. Available at: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/heart_vascular_institute/conditions_treatments/treatments/vascular_ultrasound.html. Accessed May 22, 2013.

Vascular ultrasound. Radiological Society of North America Radiology Info website. Available at: http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=vascularus. Updated August 28, 2012. Accessed May 22, 2013.

What is vascular ultrasound? Vascular ultrasound website. Available at: http://www.vascularultrasound.net/vascular-ultrasound. Updated August 7, 2010. Accessed May 22, 2013.

Last reviewed May 2013 by Ganson Purcell Jr., MD, FACOG, FACPE; Brian Randall, MD

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.