Duchesne Published in Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery

Dr. Duchesne, who is certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, is among the sixteen physicians who contributed research to what’s being called the largest civilian analysis of commercially fabricated or improvised shunts and their use in trauma patients undergoing damage control surgery as treatment for their injuries. Shunts are catheter tubes used to carry blood through the veins and arteries of the injured area to prevent further bone, tissue or organ damage and promote healing.

“The benefits of shunting to save the arms and legs of trauma victims were clearly demonstrated by the study,” asserts Duchesne. “We proved that the trauma community can confidently use shunts in patients with multiple vascular and orthopedic injuries to control damage caused by the trauma, as well as preserve limbs and improve overall outcomes.”

The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, for which Dr. Duchesne serves on the editorial board, is published 12 times per year by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins in two volumes beginning in January and July. It is sponsored by the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma. Content focuses specifically on traumatic injuries with articles covering everything from the nature of injury and the effects of new drug therapies to recommendations for more effective surgical approaches and the latest laboratory findings.

As medical director of North Oaks Medical Center’s Trauma Program, Dr. Duchesne is championing the hospital’s efforts to become an American College of Surgeons-verified Level II Trauma Center. The hospital now offers trauma surgeons in-house at all times to care for victims suddenly stricken by serious traumatic injury.

In addition, Dr. Duchesne serves on the Regional Commission of the Louisiana Emergency Response Network (LERN) for Region 9. He represents hospitals with greater than 100 beds on the Commission.

LERN is an agency of state government created by the Louisiana Legislature to develop and maintain a statewide system of care coordination for patients suddenly stricken by serious traumatic injury or time-sensitive illness, such as heart attack or stroke. North Oaks is one of nearly 100 entities statewide that participates in LERN. When a pre-hospital provider (like an emergency responder) or a hospital determines a patient has certain trauma needs, the network matches the patient to the hospital resources available in the region.

Dr. Duchesne completed an internship and residency through Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, where he also fulfilled a fellowship in Critical Care Surgery and Trauma.