Society guideline links: Thoracic trauma

Introduction — 

This topic includes links to society and government-sponsored guidelines from selected countries and regions around the world. We will update these links periodically; newer versions of some guidelines may be available on each society's website. Some societies may require users to log in to access their guidelines.

The recommendations in the following guidelines may vary from those that appear in UpToDate topic reviews. Readers who are looking for UpToDate topic reviews should use the UpToDate search box to find the relevant content.

Links to related guidelines are provided separately:

●(See "Society guideline links: General issues of trauma management in adults".)

●(See "Society guideline links: Cervical spine injury".)

●(See "Society guideline links: Thoracic and lumbar spine injury in adults".)

●(See "Society guideline links: Blunt cerebrovascular injury".)

●(See "Society guideline links: Severe blunt or penetrating extremity trauma".)

International

●World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES): Guidelines on esophageal emergencies (2019)

●WSES: 2013 position paper on oesophageal injuries (published 2014)

Canada

●Cognitive aids for the management of thoracic anesthesia emergencies: Consensus guidelines on behalf of a Canadian thoracic taskforce (2022)

United States

●American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP): Clinical policy on critical issues in the evaluation of adult patients presenting to the emergency department with acute blunt trauma (2024)

●American College of Radiology (ACR): ACR Appropriateness Criteria on penetrating torso trauma (2024)

●American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA): Practice guidelines for management of the difficult airway (2022)

●Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST): Non-surgical management and analgesia strategies for older adults with multiple rib fractures – A systematic review, meta-analysis, and practice management guideline (2022)

●EAST: Practice management guideline on antibiotic prophylaxis for tube thoracostomy placement in trauma (2022)

●Western Trauma Association (WTA): Critical decisions algorithm for the evaluation and management of traumatic pneumothorax (2022)

●EAST: A practice management guideline for the management of simple and retained hemothorax (2021)

●ACR: ACR Appropriateness Criteria on blunt chest trauma – Suspected cardiac injury (revised 2020)

●Chest Wall Injury Society (CWIS): Guideline for surgical stabilization of rib fixation (SSRF) – Indications, contraindications, and timing (2020)

●American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT), ACEP, National Association of Emergency Medical Services Physicians (NAEMSP), and National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT): A joint statement on the clinical use of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) in civilian trauma systems in the USA (2019)

●ACR: ACR Appropriateness Criteria on rib fractures (revised 2018)

●ACS COT and ACEP: Joint statement regarding the clinical use of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) (2018)

●EAST: A practice management guideline for the evaluation and management of traumatic diaphragmatic injuries (2018)

●ACR: ACR Appropriateness Criteria on thoracic aorta interventional planning and follow-up (2017)

●EAST: A practice management guideline on open reduction and internal fixation of rib fractures (2017)

●WTA: Critical decisions in trauma – Management of rib fractures (2017)

●EAST and Trauma Anesthesiology Society (TAS): A joint practice management guideline on pain management for blunt thoracic trauma (2016)

●EAST: A practice management guideline for an evidence-based approach to patient selection for emergency department thoracotomy (2015)

●EAST: A practice management guideline for the evaluation and management of blunt traumatic aortic injury (2015)

●WTA: Critical decisions in trauma – Diagnosis and management of esophageal injuries (2015)

●WTA: Critical decisions in trauma – Penetrating chest trauma (2014)

●ASA: Statement on principles − Trauma anesthesiology (2013)

●American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST): Blunt cardiac injury (2012)

●EAST: Practice management guideline for emergency tracheal intubation immediately following traumatic injury (2012)

●EAST: Practice management guideline for the management of pulmonary contusion and flail chest (2012)

●EAST: Practice management guideline on screening for blunt cardiac injury (2012)

●EAST: Practice management guideline on screening for thoracolumbar spinal injuries in blunt trauma (2012)

●WTA: Critical decisions in trauma – Resuscitative thoracotomy (2012)

●EAST: Practice management guidelines for management of hemothorax and occult pneumothorax (2011)

Europe

●European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS): Clinical practice guidelines on the management of vascular trauma (2025)

●European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and ESVS: An expert consensus document on current options and recommendations for the treatment of thoracic aortic pathologies involving the aortic arch (2019)

United Kingdom

●Difficult Airway Society (DAS): Guidelines for awake tracheal intubation (ATI) in adults (2020)

●National Institutes for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): Guideline on major trauma − Assessment and initial management (2016)

●NICE: Interventional procedures guidance for the insertion of metal rib reinforcements to stabilise a flail chest wall (2010)

Japan

●[In Japanese] Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists (JSA): Paramedic tracheal intubation training manual (2018)