The veterinary trauma initiative: Why bother?

In this issue of the Journal, Ateca et al1 report the results of a retrospective single-center investigation describing a population of dogs sustaining bite wounds severe enough to warrant admission to an intensive care unit (ICU). As with most of the current literature available to help guide our clinical decision making, the authors cite the impact of the “euthanasia factor” in interpretation of their results and the limitations of a retrospective, single center study.2–5 While their study findings are certainly a welcome addition to the veterinary trauma literature, there remains an urgent need for multicenter, prospective clinical research in our patient populations to guide our clinical decision-making and directly and positively impact patient care. This concept is at the core of the development of the collaborative international trauma initiative that has resulted in multiple multicenter prospective studies6,7 and the creation of the Veterinary Committee on Trauma (VetCOT) with a vision to: