The involvement of surgeons in trauma care and critical care continues to evolve. With the development across Canada of specialized centres for trauma there has been an increasing interest in the management of trauma patients among surgeons in all surgical disciplines.
Once the exclusive preserve of general surgeons, other surgical specialties have developed specific interests and skills in the management of trauma patients. In addition to developments in surgical procedures unique to certain specialties, there has been a realization by all surgeons that comprehensive care of these patients requires an improved knowledge of the pathophysiology of trauma as well as an understanding of the latest advances in trauma management.
Critical care is another discipline that is shared among many different medical and surgical specialties. Within surgery, critical care has been practised primarily by general surgeons, cardiovascular surgeons and thoracic surgeons. Other surgical disciplines have expressed considerable interest in expanding their role in the critical care sector, as all too frequently surgical patients are consumers of critical care in the postoperative period.
In recognition of this increasing interest in critical care and in the overall care of the trauma patient by surgeons in all disciplines, the Canadian Journal of Surgery will devote some of its pages to trauma and surgical critical care. The Editorial Board of the Journal has discussed for some time how best to bring topics of interest in trauma and critical care to its readership and to appeal to the broad interests of those readers. It is been decided that a regular section appearing 3 to 4 times a year that presents solicited articles in specific areas of trauma and critical care is the most appropriate strategy.
It is anticipated that this series will begin in 1999, and we look forward to the response of the readers to this new initiative.