Advanced Trauma Life Support Flashcards
what are the principles of trauma management ?
primary survey ABCDE and cervical spine secondary survey treat life threatening conditions as they arise stabilise transfer
how is the airway maintained ?
chin lift but no head tilt, jaw thrust, oropharyngeal suctioning, manually move tongue forward, maintain cervical immobilisation but not at the cost of the airway
what is intubation ?
placement of flexible plastic tube into the trachea to provide an airway
what considerations should be made about emergency intubation ?
avoid nasotracheal intubation, avoid rapid sequence intubation, consider awake intubation, sedate with benzodiazepines, consider fibre optic intubation, be prepared for cricothyroidotomy
what are the alternatives to intubation ?
percutaneous transtracheal ventilation,
retrograde intubation
what is the surgical anatomy for a cricothyroidotomy ?
in the cricothyroid membrane between the thyroid and cricoid cartilage
where is the standard tracheostomy site ?
below the second tracheal cartilage
what life threatening injuries may arise in emergencies ?
airway obstruction, tension pneumothorax, open pneumothorax, massive haemothorax, flail chest, cardiac tamponade
what is tension pneumothorax and how is it treated ?
intrapleural air accumulates progressively in the thoracic cavity and exerts positive pressure on mediastinal and intrathoracic structures
treatment - draining with needle thoracocentesis
what is open pneumothorax and how is it treated ?
a free communication between the atmosphere and the pleural space either through the lung or through the chest wall
treatment - 3 sided dressing and chest drain
what is massive haemothorax and how is it treated ?
blood within the chest
treatment - IV fluids and chest drain
what is flail chest and how is it treated ?
a segment of the thoracic cage is separated from the rest of the chest wall
treatment - analgesia
what is cardiac tamponade and how is it treated ?
compression of the heart by an accumulation of fluid in th pericardial sac
treatment - pericardiocentesis
where does blood dog following major trauma ?
abdomen, pelvis, femur, chest cavity
what is the management of acute blood loss ?
replace the volume and stop bleeding
