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Learn About Conditions and Procedures

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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Carpal Tunnel Injection

by Krisha McCoy, MS

En Español (Spanish Version)

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

Definition

A carpal tunnel injection is a corticosteroid injection into the carpel tunnel area of the wrist.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Reasons for Procedure

The median nerve runs from the forearm into the hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when this nerve is squeezed at the wrist as it runs through the carpel tunnel. This results in pain, weakness, tingling, or numbness in your hand and wrist. Pain may also radiate up your arm.

Steroid injections into the carpel tunnel area can help improve symptoms for three months or longer. You may not need further treatment.

Possible Complications

Complications are rare, but no procedure is risk-free. Your doctor will review a list of possible complications which may include:

Infection
No improvement in symptoms

What to Expect

Your doctor may ask you what medicines you take and if you have any allergies to medicines.

You will be given an injection of local anesthetic to numb the area.

Your doctor will fill a needle with corticosteroid medicine. This medicine calms inflammation. Your palm will be facing upward. The inside of your wrist will be cleaned. The needle will be inserted into the carpal tunnel area of the wrist, and the medicine will be injected.

A few minutes

You may feel some pain after the anesthetic wears off.

Your doctor will bandage the injection site. You and your doctor will discuss what to expect in the coming days.

If recommended by your doctor:

Apply ice or a cold pack to the affected area for 15-20 minutes each time. Do not apply ice directly to your skin. First, wrap the ice or cold pack in a towel, then place it on your skin.
Take over-the-counter pain medicine.

Ask your doctor about when it is safe to shower, bathe, or soak in water. Follow your doctor's instructions .

Call Your Doctor

After arriving home, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

Signs of infection, including fever and chills
Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or any discharge from the incision site
Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given

In case of an emergency, call for medical help right away.

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons

http://www.aaos.org/

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/

The Arthritis Society of Canada

http://www.arthritis.ca/

College of Family Physicians of Canada

http://www.cfpc.ca/

Carpal tunnel steroid injection. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/what.php. Updated July 2009. Accessed August 8, 2009.

Carpal tunnel syndrome fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke website. Available at: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm. Accessed. Accessed February 28, 2007.

Joint and soft tissue injections. American Academy of Family Physicians website. Available at: http://familydoctor.org/774.xml. Accessed. Accessed February 28, 2007.

Last reviewed December 2011 by John C. Keel, 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.