Clinical Flashcards
How do you normally treat spinal injuries (and what is a risk of doing it)?
Lying down for 6-8 weeks
Big risk of sepsis/blood clots
Why do you always do limb surgery under a tourniquet?
Blood is not available
Lower HIV infection risk
How does laminar flow lower risk of infection?
Removes dead skin and infectious material
How do you treat long bone fractures?
Use skin/skeletal traction by putting a rod through the bone and pull
Attach weight at the end
What are complications with skin/skeletal traction?
Malunights (the bone doesn’t bind again)
How do you surgically treat a major wound?
First you debride - leave wound open with no dressing
Then you can go back after a suitable period and close the wound
When do you change dressings?
Only under anaesthesia
Why do you debride all the dead tissue away?
Dead tissue causes infection
What are the general features of civilian war surgery?
Late presentation
No onward evacuation
Normal burden of disease continues
Difficult environments due to geography/weather/fighting
Limited resources/staff
What are the minimum standards of management of casualties?
Rapid primary survey
Resuscitation of vital functions
Secondary survey
Definitive care
What are features of a wound in disasters and conflict?
Multiple wounds and systems
Fragments, bullets, burns and blast
Contaminated
What are the general features of wound management?
Resuscitation
Wound incision
Debridement
Wound excision
Stabilisation
Wound dressing and splintage
Evacuation for secondary procedures
What do solid organ injuries normally present with?
Signs of haemorrhage
What might hollow visceral injury present with?
Late sepsis if initially overlooked
How can most chest wounds be managed?
Chest drain to remove blood and re-inflate the lung
What is the immediate concern with head, neck and face injuries?
Airway safety
What are the signs of shock?
Sweat
Low blood pressure
Pale
Tachycardia and tachypnoea
Low consciousness/anxiety
Cold skin
Low urine output
What are the two types of shock?
Haemorrhagic
Nonhaemorrhagic
What causes haemorrhagic shock?
Blood loss
What causes nonhaemorrhagic shock?
Tension pneumothorax
Cardiac tamponade
Cardiogenic
Neurogenic
Septic
How can you stop bleeding?
Pressure
Tourniquets
Raise limb
Operation
Reduce pelvic volume
How do you treat shock?
Restore blood volume and prevent hypothermia
What are the three types of response to shock treatment?
Rapid responder
Transient responder
Nonresponder
What is a transient responder after shock treatment?
Gets better then worse again (normally due to blood loss)
What are the four consequences of disaster on health services?
Structural
Non-structural (technical gap)
Functional (funds)
Professional (brain drain)
What is the maternal health triad?
Access
Quality
Utilisation
What are the access challenges in maternal health?
Safety
Funds
Logistics
What are the utilisation challenges in maternal health?
Culture
Acceptance
Language
What % of mothers experience complications?
40%
What % of mothers develop life threatening complications?
15%
What % of maternal deaths happen in the first 24 hrs??
50%