Child with Trauma / Burns Flashcards
Relevant history for trauma?
- MIST
- Mechanism
- Injury/illness
- Signs/symptoms
- Treatment
- AMPLE
- Allergies
- Medications
- Past medical history/ Pregnancy
- Last meal
- Events/ Environment
- Events and Environment
- Timing
- Nature of the forces involved
- Protective and safety apparatus
Relevant examinations and investigations?
- Primary survey
- Airway with cervical spine control
- Breathing and ventilation
- Circulation with haemorrhage control
- Disability and neurological assessment
- Exposure with Environmental control
- Head to toe
- Fingers or instrument in every opening
- Assume injury present until excluded by clinical examination or investigation
- Bloods
- X-rays
- Lateral cervical spine
- Chest
- Pelvis
What are some anatomical differences between a baby/child and adult?
What is available to manage the airway?
- Basic airway manoeuvres
- Chin lift
- Jaw thrust
- Oral and nasopharyngeal airways
- Intubation
- Surgical airway
When being suspicious of airway injuries, what should you be looking for?
- Fall onto sharp object
- Running/riding into wires
- Penetrating neck injury
- Facial burns
- Burns resuscitation
What are some signs of airway obstruction?
- Injury to face, neck, mandible
- Swelling of tongue, pharynx, mouth
- Restlessness
- Cyanosis
- Accessory muscles
- Wheeze, stridor, dysphonia
- Respiratory distress
- Low saturations
How would you investigate suspected cervical spine injuries?
- Rare in children
- Serious consequences if missed
- Assume present
- Collar
- Sandbags and tape
- Beware distracting injury
- Cervical spine series
- Lateral C spine
- AP C spine
- Odontoid peg views
- Swimmers view
- CT
- MRI
What are the differences when assessing breathing in children compared to adults?
- Anatomical differences
- Horizontal ribs
- Diaphragmatic breathers
- Fewer Type I fibres
- Small airways
- Respiratory rate more rapid than adult
- Tidal volume proportionally the same
What do you check for in Breathing in the context of trauma?
- Airway obstruction/injury
- Chest injury
- Head injury
- Aspiration
- Burns
- Shock/acidosis
How do you manage impaired breathing in the context of trauma?
- Airway secure
- If ventilated, aim:
- Respiratory rate 20 to 30 breaths per minute
- Tidal volume 7-10 mL per kg
- Treat problems as identified
Describe management of circulation in the context of trauma
- Information
- Circulating volume 80 mls/kg
- Infant has small stroke volume, thus has high heart rate
- Blood pressure varies with age
- Management
- Control haemorrhage
- Vascular access
- Percutaneous
- Cut-down
- Intra-osseous
How do you assess and manage Disability in the context of trauma?
- Assessment
- More difficult to assess in children as:
- May not be able to communicate
- Behaviour may regress because of stressful situation
- Paediatric GCS - Best verbal response
- 5 Coos and babbles
- 4 Irritable cry
- 3 Cries to pain
- 2 Moans to pain
- 1 No response
- More difficult to assess in children as:
- Management
- Optimise ABCs
- Discuss further investigations and management with neurosurgeon
How do you assess and manage Exposure and Environment?
- Assess
- Head to toe examination of whole body
- Common sites to miss injuries:
- Scalp
- Neck
- Hands
- Back and perineum
- Large surface area to body ratio
- Risk of hypothermia
- Management
- Warm the patient
- Overhead heater
- Warm blanket
- Warm fluids
- Can remove collar to examine neck with immobilisation
- Log-roll patient
- Analgesia
- Caregiver or good nurse with an explanation
- Local anaesthetic blocks
- Morphine - analgesic and anxiolytic
- Titrate small doses IV as a bolus
- Multitrauma the rule
- Thorough secondary survey
- Repeat as tertiary survey the next day
- Growing and developing
- Long-term review required
- Optimal management to avoid morbidity
- Beware non-accidental injury
- Inconsistent history which varies
- Delayed presentation
- Physical signs of abuse and neglect
- Warm the patient
What are some causes of burns in children?
- 50% Scald
- 30% Contact/Friction
- 15% Flame
- 2% Electrical
- 2% Chemical
- 1% Sun
How long does it take to cause full thickness burns with hot water at:
- 60C
- 55C
- 50C
- The average temperature of domestic hot water is 70C.
- At 60C it takes one second for hot water to cause full thickness burn
- At 55C it takes 10 seconds
- At 50C it takes five minutes.