Exam Prep Flashcards
Outline the RASS score levels.
0 - Alert and calm
+1 - Restless, anxious but not aggressive or interfering with assessment.
2+ - Agitated w/ frequent non-purposeful interference to assessment not aggressive to others.
3+ - Very agitated. Pulls or removes interventions (tubes, IV, catheters), aggressive to self.
4+ - Combative, violent towards others.
What drugs and doses are given for each RASS score?
RASS 0 - Nil
RASS 1 - 2: 10mg Olanzapine (2x 5mg wafers). Repeat once only after 15 mins if indicated to total maximum cumulative dose via all routes 20mg/24hrs.
RASS 1-3: Droperidol IM 5-10mg / IV 2.5-5mg. Repeat after 15mins if indicated to a total maximum cumulative dose via all routes 20mg/24hrs.
RASS 4: Ketamine 4mg/kg (max 400mg). IV maintenance 0.5mg/kg every 5 mins.
What are the six Rs of medication?
Right:
- Patient
- Medication
- Dose
- Route
- Time/interval
- Documentation
What is the target oxygen saturations for a COPD patient?
88% - 92%
True or False: Males are twice as likely to sustain brain injuries.
True
What are the leading causes of death in the first year post brain injury?
- Seizures,
- Septicaemia,
- Pneumonia,
- Digestive complications.
With regard to head injuries what GCS levels are associated with Mild, Moderate and Severe?
Mild - GCS 14-15
Moderate - GCS 9-13
Severe - GCS 3-8
Focal and diffuse injuries can be associated with head injuries. What are they?
Focal: scalp lacerations, skull fractures, surface contusions.
Diffuse: Diffuse axonal injuries, hypoxic/ischaemic damage and vascular injuries.
What percentages of body mass, oxygen, glucose and cardiac output is the brain responsible for?
2% body mass
20% oxygen
25% glucose
15% cardiac output
Constant cerebral blood flow is maintained by____?
- Ensuring an adequate pressure (cerebral perfusion pressure) to force blood into the head; and
- A regulatory mechanism (autoregulation), which ensures a constant blood flow by varying
the resistance to blood flow as the perfusion pressure changes.
How do you calculate the Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)?
Pulse Pressure = Systolic pressure – Diastolic pressure
MAP = diastolic pressure + 1/3 pulse pressure
Define cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP).
CPP is the amount of pressure required to push blood through the cerebral circulation, therefore maintaining blood flow, oxygen and glucose delivery to brain cells and is directly related to the amount of intracranial pressure.
How do you calculate cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP)?
CPP = MAP - ICP
What are the normal ranges for MAP, ICP and CPP?
MAP = 85 – 95mmHg
ICP <15mmHg
CPP = 70 - 80mmHg
Define a traumatic brain injury.
A traumatic insult to the brain capable of producing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and vocational change.
Traumatic brain injuries can be divided into 2 categories. What are they?
Primary: As a result of the injury.
Secondary: Complex cellular and metabolic injuries that occur after the primary injury.
There are internal and external causes for secondary traumatic brain injuries. What are they?
Internal: Herniation, ischemia, cerebral oedema, hematomas, intracranial hypertensions.
External: Hypotension, hypoxia, anemia, hyper/hypoglycemia, hyper/hypocapnia, seizures.
What is the Monro-kellie hypothesis?
When one compartment expands, another should reduce its volume or ICP will increase.
What is Cushing’s Triad and when is it seen?
Hypertension
Bradycardia
Irregular breathing
Seen in late stages of very high ICP.
What are the two types of posturing associated with head injuries?
Decorticate (inwards):
Rigid flexion of the arms, twisting towards the centre of the body with clenched fists. Suggestive of damage to the neural pathways between the brain and spinal cord typically above the level of the brainstem.
Decerebrate (outward):
Stiffening of arms and legs away from the centre of the body w/ an arched back, pointed toes and out stretched fingers. Suggestive of damage to the brainstem, particularly within or below the upper midbrain.
What are the signs of elevated ICP in a decompensated state?
- Altered GCS
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Papilledema (swelling of the optic disc)
- Pupillary changes
- Cushing’s triad
- Seizures
- Visual changes
- Neck stiffness and pain
- Changes in speech
What is the trauma management general principals?
- Initial scene assessment – backup required?
- Control catastrophic hemorrhage – extreme bleeding that can lead to
death within minutes. Early TPOD/C.A.T - A – E assessment – consider C-spine and immediately manually immobilize.
- Airway and ventilatory support as required
- Other hemorrhage control
- IV access – consider fluids if hypotensive 20mls/kg Max 2L in 250ml bolus
and reassess perfusion. Make sure you consider what is occurring though
and the potential need for permissive hypotension - Cardiac Monitor
- Maintain temperature
- Secondary and CNS surveys where appropriate
- Consider analgesia- Major trauma first line Fentanyl and consider the need
for secondary Ketamine (Cautious with concurrent use) - Fracture immobilisation
- Consider anti-emetic (Prophylaxis Ondanseteron)
- If time critical/major trauma, minimise on scene time - < 10 mins if possible