ORGANIZATION OF TRAUMA CARE Flashcards
What is the process for prioritizing patient treatment during mass casualty events based on their need for or likely benefit from immediate medical attention?
Triage
What are some categories that can change the basis of triage?
- Numbers of injured
- Available resources
- Nature and extent of injuries
- Change in patient’s condition
- Hostile threat in the area
Multiple or Mass casualty situation?
The number of patients and the severities of their injuries DO NOT exceed the resources and capabilities.
Multiple Casualties
Multiple or Mass casualty situation?
The number of patients and the severities of their injuries DO exceed the resources and capabilities
Mass casualties
What are the 5 principles of triage?
- Degree of life threat posed by injuries sustained
- Injury severity
- Salvageability
- Resources
- Time, distance, and environment
What principle of trauma is determined by considering the order of priorities identified during the primary survey of an individual patient and applying the same principles to a group of patients?
Degree of life threat posed by the injuries sustained
What principle of trauma entails looking at each patient in a total global fashion and assessing the patient as a whole and not focusing on one severe injury?
Injury severity
What principle of trauma involves the consideration of the patient, in a mass casualty situation, CPR for victims of blast or penetrating traumas who have no pulse, respirations, or any other signs of life often times will be unsuccessful and should not be conducted
Salvageability
During a mass casualty the determining factor is not the magnitude of the incident or the total number of casualties but rather whether or not you have what?
Appropriate resources
What category of military triage needs lifesaving interventions within minutes up to 2 hours on arrival to avoid death or major disability?
Immediate
These patients are examples of what category of military triage?
- Massive hemorrhage
- Airway obstruction or potential compromise, including potential complications from facial burns or anaphylaxis
- Tension pneumothorax
- Penetrating chest wound WITH respiratory distress
- Torso, neck, or pelvis injuries WITH shock
- Head injuries requiring emergent decompression
- Threatened loss of limb
- Retrobulbar hematoma (threat to loss of sight)
- Multiple extremity amputations
Immediate
What category of military triage are patients that require medical attention but CAN wait?
Delayed
What category of military triage includes those who may require a surgical procedure, but whose delay in surgical treatment will not endanger the life, limb, or eyesight of a patient?
Delayed
Examples of what kind of patients will show NO signs of shock on the following injuries?
- Soft tissue injuries without significant bleeding
- Fractures
- Compartment syndrome
- Intra-abdominal and/or thoracic bleeding
- Moderate to severe burns with less than 20% of total body surface area
- Blunt or penetrating torso injuries without the signs of shock
- Facial fractures without airway compromise
- Globe injuries
Delayed
What category of military triage can be treated with self aid, buddy aid, and/or Corpsman aid?
Minimal
What category of triage will patients with the following injuries fall into?
- Minor burns, lacerations, contusions, sprains and strains
- Simple, closed fractures without neurovascular compromise
- Combat stress reaction
Minimal
What category of military triage do patients who require complicated treatments that may not improve life expectancy fall into?
Expectant
The following are examples of what category of military triage?
- Massive head injuries with signs of impending death or in a coma
- Cardiopulmonary failure
- Clearly dead casualty with no signs of life or vital signs regardless of MOI
- Second and third degree burns in excess of 85% total body surface area
- Open pelvic injuries with uncontrolled bleeding and class IV shock
- High spinal cord injuries
Expectant
What strip on the triage tag is the fourth stripe on the tag, and casualties are either dead or non-salvageable and entails no care is needed?
Black (deceased/expectant)
What strip on the triage tag is the third stripe on the tag, casualties have minor injuries and will need minimal care; they should be transported after the immediate and delayed have been evacuated?
Green (minimal)
What strip on the triage tag is the second stripe on the tag, casualties are in the most need of care and or transport to a higher echelon of care; they should receive care before all other casualties?
Red (immediate)
What strip on the triage tag is the first stripe on the tag, casualties will need care, but in no hurry; they will be transported only after the more critically injured have been stabilized and transported?
Yellow (delayed)
What phase of triage is the simple and quick categorization of patients; identifying and stopping life threats, this breaks down patients into more manageable groups?
Primary triage
What are the two important parts of primary triage?
- Immediate life sustaining care
2. Situation awareness
What phase of triage allows for adjustment on patient response, to direct more in-depth treatment and prepare for a nine-line medical evacuation request?
Secondary triage
In what phase of triage will you document, reassess, and sort patients by their treatment need and provide medical treatment as appropriate and available?
Secondary Triage
- Give further direction of treatment and re-categorize patients as necessary
- Begin MEDEVAC/CASEVAC considerations and request the medical evacuation if not already done
What phase of triage is the continued management of patients where more complicated procedures should be weighed against the situation?
Tertiary triage
True or False
CPR should only be considered for non-traumatic disorders such as hypothermia, near drowning, or electrocution
True
In what phase of triage should you reassess the condition of patients relevant to resources, transportation capabilities and medical facilities available to receive casualties?
Tertiary triage
Early trauma deaths are due to disruption in one, or all, of what three bodily systems?
- Respiratory
- Vascular
- CNS
True or False
Field triage considerations: Rapid
In order to triage and provide lifesaving assistance to as many victims as possible. the provider must limit evaluations to the most significant medical characteristics of the victim
True
True or False
Wounded contaminated in a biological and/or chemical battlefield environment can just be decontaminated after they enter the MTF
False
These casualties must be decontaminated prior to entering the treatment facility.
Patients with what should be segregated immediately and treated last?
Retained, unexploded ordinance
Combat stress
With expeditious care, these casualties can be returned to duty what percentage of time?
80%
Patients with combat stress should be placed in one of what two categories?
- Light stress
2. Heavy stress
Combat stress
What category of stress is an immediate return to duty or return to unit or unit’s non combat support element with duty limitations or rest?
Light stress
Combat stress
What category of stress is when you send the patient to combat stress control restoration center for up to 3 days for reconstitution?
Heavy stress
What is the BICEP mnemonic used for?
Comat stress
What does the mnemonic BICEP stand for?
- Brief: keep intervention to 3 days or less of rest, food, and reconditioning
- Immediate: Treat as soon as symptoms are recognized DO NOT DELAY
- Central: keep in one area for mutual support and identify as service members
- Expectant: Reaffirm that we expect them to return to duty after brief rest; normalize the reaction and their duty to return to their unit
- Proximal. Keep them as close as possible to the unit
- Simple: Do not engage in psychotherapy. Address the present stress response and situation only, using rest limited catharsis and brief support
- Or refer: Must be referred to a facility that is better equipped or staffed for care
What are some important parts of Triage in TCCC?
- Care under fire
- Tactical field care
- Tactical evacuation
True or False
Care under fire
Get the patients who are clearly not dead to concealment if possible
False
Get the patients who are not clearly dead to COVER if possible
Tactical Field Care
The majority of preventable deaths are a result of an inability to control what?
External Hemorrhage
Tactical Field Care
Talk to the casualty when checking the radial pule; if the patient obeys commands and has a strong radial pulse, they have a ___% chance of living, should be categorized as minimal or delayed
95%
If patient obeys commands, but has weak or absent pulse, he/she is at increased risk of dying and may benefit from a lifesaving intervention. This casualty should be in what category?
Immediate category
True or False
Tactical Field Care
If the casualty does not obey commands and has a weak or absent radial pulse, the casualty has a markedly increased risk of dying (>92%), and needs a lifesaving intervention. This patient should be in the immediate category or possibly expectant depending on available resources.
True
During tactical evacuation is it recommended to triage casualties again?
Yes
Bleeding from extremity wounds should be controlled with what?
Tourniquet or hemostatic dressings
True or False
Casualties with penetrating wounds of the chest or abdomen who are not in shock at their 15-minute evaluation have a moderate risk of developing late shock from slowly bleeding internal injuries. They should be carefully monitored and evacuated as soon as feasible.
True
You should quickly choose a casualty collection point based on what?
- Proximity to patients
- Proximity to vehicular access
- Proximity to HLZ
- Geography, safety “geographic triage”
What are some inherent problems with a CCP?
- Command and control
- Triage
- Equipment removal and dissemination
- Casualty accountability
- Changing triage categories
- Security
- Noise and light discipline
What level of care is the first medical care military personnel receive, includes live saving measures, disease and non-battle injury prevention and care, combat and operation stress control (COSC), patient location and acquisition?
Level (role/echelon) 1