Assessment and treatment of the trauma patient in shock.

High-volume crystalloid resuscitation is associated with increased length of stay, ICU and ventilator days, and organ failure and infection rates. Rapid evaluation of a hemodynamically unstable trauma patient is vital to diagnosis and treatment of the cause of shock. CT scanning should be used liberally in trauma patients to effect decreased mortality. Nonoperative management and catheter-based interventions are becoming the standard of care in appropriately selected patients with solid organ injuries.