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Abstract Background Trauma surgery is a fundamental aspect of medicine. According to the 2023 mortality report from Statistics Korea, external factors such as intentional self-harm and transportation incidents are leading causes of death among individuals aged 10 to 30, accounting for 7.9% of overall mortality. Despite advances in the field, specialization has hindered comprehensive trauma care. Main body In South Korea, regional trauma centers have been established to meet critical trauma management needs; however, challenges remain, including a shortage of trauma surgeons and inefficient resource utilization. The reluctance of surgical residents to pursue trauma training exacerbates the scarcity of qualified specialists. Trauma surgeons often bear extensive responsibilities, which limits their ability to perform prompt interventions. Acute Care Surgery (ACS) offers a model to integrate trauma and non-trauma surgical care, enabling hospitals to implement effective protocols for urgent cases and improving patient outcomes. Research indicates that ACS enhances emergency surgical management, increases training opportunities for residents, and improves job satisfaction among participating surgeons. Conclusion Integrating ACS into South Korea’s healthcare system is essential to optimize resource allocation and improve emergency care, ultimately leading to enhanced public health outcomes.

Abstract Spontaneous rupture of the oesophageal artery is rarely observed in clinical practice and may lead to a haemomediastinum, which is a potentially life-threatening condition. Among these conditions, a mediastinal haemorrhage from oesophageal branches of the bronchial artery is the most frequently reported. However, rupture of oesophageal branches arising from the inferior thyroid artery (ITA) has never been reported to date. This current case report describes a male patient in his mid-70s who experienced sudden chest pain with haemomediastinum caused by the rupture of oesophageal artery branches after vomiting. This patient was successfully treated with separate transcatheter arterial embolization of the two oesophageal branches arising from the ITA and the bronchial artery using N-butyl-cyanoacrylate. Awareness of the various potential sources of haemomediastinum is important to increase the success rate of transcatheter arterial embolization.