RT Journal
A1 Crist, Brett D.
A1 Ferguson, Tania
A1 Murtha, Yvonne M.
A1 Lee, Mark A.
T1 Surgical Timing of Treating Injured Extremities
JF The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
JO The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
YR 2012
FD August 15
VO 94
IS 16
SP 1514
OP 1524
DO 10.2106/JBJS.L.00414
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.L.00414
AB 
After more than a decade of conflicting publications as well as changes in institutional resources, surgeons rightly question the ideal timing of surgical intervention for various extremity injuries. Is this fracture a true emergency? Can it wait until tomorrow morning? Is definitive management best delayed to minimize further trauma to the patient’s physiology or soft tissues? And how does the availability of protected, daytime operating-room time influence these decisions? To address these questions, we evaluated the evidence regarding the optimal or critical time for surgical intervention in treating various extremity injuries and the influence of a designated orthopaedic trauma room on management strategies.