SR 38 - Trauma Flashcards
First five steps of the primary survey?
Airway and C-spine stabilization Breathing Circulation Disability Exposure and environment
What are the steps of a cricothyroidotomy?
Incise the cricothyroid membrane between the cricoid cartilage inferiorly and the thyroid cartilage superiorly and place an ET or tracheostomy tube into the trachea
What are the parts of a good breathing assessment?
Inspection - air movement, respiratory rate, cyanosis, tracheal shift, JVD, asymmetric chest expansion, accessory muscle use, open chest wounds
Auscultation - breath sounds
Percussion - hyperresonance or dullness
Palpation - subcutaneous emphysema, flail chest
Life-threatening conditions that need to be identified and treated during the breathing stage?
Tension pneumothorax
Open pneumothorax
Massive hemothorax
Treatment of a tension pneumothorax?
Needle thoracostomy - 2nd ICS MCL
Followed by, tube thoracostomy in anterior/midaxillary line in 4th ICS
What does a pneumothorax look like on a CXR?
Loss of lung markings
Straight lines
What is the major cause of respiratory compromise with flail chest?
Underlying pulmonary contusion
What is the treatment for a flail chest?
Intubation with positive pressure ventilation
PEEP PRN
(Allows the ribs to heal)
Define Beck’s Triad
Hypotension
Muffled heart sounds
JVD
Define Kussmaul’s sign
JVD with inspiration
How do you diagnose cardiac tamponade?
Ultrasound - echocardiogram
What is the treatment of cardiac tamponade?
Pericardial window
If blood returns, complete median sternotomy to R/O cardiac injury
What is the treatment of a massive hemothorax?
Volume replacement
Tube thoracostomy
Removal of blood (allows apposition of parietal and virsceral pleura - seals the defect)
What is the initial assessment for adequate circulation?
Palpation of pulses
Radial - 80mmHg
Femoral/carotid - 60mmHg
What are the parts of a good circulation assessment?
Heart rate Blood pressure Peripheral perfusion Urinary output Mental status Capillary refill (normal
Who won’t mount a tachycardic response to hypovolemic shock?
Spinal cord injury
On B-blockers
Well-conditioned atheletes
What is the trauma resuscitation fluid of choice?
Lactated Ringer’s solution
Isotonic and the lactate helps buffer the hypovolemia-induced metabolic acidosis
What decompressions do trauma patient receive?
Gastric decompression - NGT
Bladder decompression - foley AFTER normal rectal exam
Contraindications to placement of a foley?
Signs of urethral injury:
- Severe pelvic fracture in men
- Blood at the urethral meatus
- ‘High-riding’ ‘ballotable’ prostate
- Scrotal/perineal injury/ecchymosis
What test do you do if urethral injury is suspected prior to placement of a foley catheter?
Retrograde UrethroGram (RUG) Dye in penis retrograde to the bladder and E-ray to look for extravasation of dye
How do you get gastric decompression when a patient has maxillofacial fracture?
Use an OGT
Because an NGT may perforate through the cribiform plate into the brain
What are the parts of a good disability assessment?
Neurological assessment
- Mental status - GCS
- Pupils
- Motor/sensory
What are the three parts of the GCS?
Eye opening (4) Motor response (6) Verbal response (5)
What are the stages in GCS - eye opening?
4 - opens spontaneously
3 - opens to voice command
2 - opens to painful stimuli
1 - does not open eyes
What are the stages in GCS - motor response?
6 - obeys commands 5 - localizes to painful stimulus 4 - withdraws from pain 3 - decorticate posture 2 - decerebrate posture 1 - no movement
What are the stages in GCS - verbal response?
5 - appropriate and oriented 4 - confused 3 - inappropriate words 2 - incomprehensible sounds 1- no sounds
Define decorticate posture
Abnormal flexion
Define decerebrate posture
Abnormal extension
Why do you inspect the ears in trauma?
Hemotympanum and otorrhea is a sign of basilar skull fracture
What are typical signs of basilar skull fracture?
Raccoon eyes
Battle’s signs
Clear otorrhea or rhinorrhea
Hemotympanum
What diagnosis in the anterior chamber must not be missed on the eye exam?
Traumatic hyphema
Blood in the anterior chamber of the eye
What potential destructive lesion must not be missed on the nasal exam?
Nasal septal hematoma
If not evacuated, it can cause pressure necrosis in the septum
What is the best indication of a mandibular fracture?
Dental malocclusion
Tell the patient to ‘bite down’ and ask if it feels normal
Signs of thoracic trauma are found on the neck exam?
Crepitus or subcutaneous emphysema from tracheobronchial disruption/PTX
Tracheal deviation - tension PTX
JVD - cardiac tamponade
Carotid bruit - carotid artery injury
What is the best way to diagnose or rule-out aortic injury?
CT angiogram
What must be considered in every penetrating injury of the thorax at or below the nipple?
Injury to the abdomen
Diaphragm extends to the level of the nipples on expiration