Emergency Flashcards
What is triage?
the preliminary assessment of patients or casualties in order to determine the urgency of their need for treatment and the nature of treatment required
Triage stations?
- emergency
- priority
- non-urgent
What is emergency triage?
patient must be seen at once may need life saving treatment
What is priority triage?
patient needs rapid assessment needs to be seen soon
What is non-urgent triage?
patient can safely wait to be seen
Airway and breathing emergency signs?
- Not breathing
- centrally cyanosed
- noisy breathing
- severe respiratory distress
Airway and breathing emergency treatments?
- Manage the airway
- Give Oxygen
- Remove any foreign body
Circulation emergency signs?
- Cold hands
- Capillary refill > 3 secs
- Weak fast pulse
Circulation emergency treatments?
- Stop bleeding
- Give Oxygen
- Give IV fluids 20ml/kg
Coma, convulsions and confusion emergency signs?
- Unconscious
- Convulsing
- Low blood sugar
Coma, convulsions and confusion emergency treatment?
- Manage airway & give O2
- Give 10% glucose IV
- Position child
Dehydration emergency signs?
- Lethargy
- Sunken eyes
- Skin pinch >2secs
Dehydration emergency treatments?
No malnutrition
- Give IV fluids+ oral fluids
Malnutrition present
- Give NGT + oral fluids
Priority signs?
TPR MOB
T - tiny (<2 months), temperature (very hot to touch), trauma
P - pain, poisoning, pallor
R - restless, referred, respiratory distress
M - malnourished
O - oedema
B - burn
Whos should be triaged?
everyone
Who can triage?
all of us
Causes of upper airway obstruction?
- Foreign body
- anaphylaxis
- croup
- bacterial tracheitis
- epiglottitis
- congenital malformations
- trauma
Causes of lower airway disorders?
- Asthma
- bronchiolitis
- pneumonia
- pneumothorax
Causes of respiratory depression?
- Seizure
- poisoning
- raised intracranial pressure
How to manage the airway in a choking infant? (foreign body aspiration with increasing respiratory distress)
- lay the infant on your arm or thigh in a head down position
- give 5 blows to the infants back with heel of hand
- if obstruction persists, turn infant over and give 5 chest thrusts with 2 fingers, 1 finger breadth below the nipple line in midline
- if obstruction persists, check infants mouth for any obstruction which can be removed
- if necessary, repeat sequence with back slaps again
How to manage the airway in a choking child? (foreign body aspiration with increasing respiratory distress)
- give 5 blows to the childs back with heel of hand with child sitting, kneeling or lying
- if the obstruction persists go behind the child and pass your arms around the child’s body
- form a fist with one hand immediately below the child’s sternum
- place the other hand over the fist and pull upwards into the abdomen
- repeat this Heimlich maneuver 5 times - if the obstruction persists, check the child’s mouth for any obstruction which can be removed
- if necessary, repeat the sequence with back slaps again
Airway and breathing exam?
Look, listen, feel and look again
- Look
- is he active, alert, talking, obviously breathing?
- is his chest moving? - Listen
- are there any breath sounds? Are they normal? - Feel
- can you feel breath at the nose or the mouth of the child? - Look again
- is the child centrally cyanosed?
(remember in anaemia cyanosis is absent)
- does the child have severe respiratory distress?
Signs of increased work of breathing?
- increased RR
- recessions
- grunting
- using accessory muscles
- flaring nares
Signs of obstructed breathing?
Noisy breathing – stridor, wheeze
Problems of a tired child?
a tired child stops breathing
Name positions for opening the airway in an infant and older child?
- infant - neutral position
- older child - sniffing position
Management of airway in a child with obstructed breathing if neck trauma is suspected?
- stabilize the neck with sand bags on the side of the head
- inspect mouth and remove foreign body if present
- clear secretions from throat
- check the airway by looking for chest movements, listening for breath sounds and feeling for breath
- open airway with jaw thrust without head lift
- if child is still not breathing ventilate with bag and mask
Management of airway in a child with obstructed breathing/stopped breathing
Child is conscious and no neck trauma?
- inspect mouth and remove foreign body if present
- clear secretions from throat
- let child assume position of maximal comfort
- if the child is still not breathing ventilate with bag and mask
Management of airway in a child with obstructed breathing/stopped breathing
Child is unconscious and no neck trauma?
- tilt head - sniffing position
- inspect mouth and remove foreign body if present
- clear secretons from throat
- check the airway by looking for chest movements, listening for breath sounds and feeling for breath
- if child is still not breathing ventilate with bag and mask