Trauma Flashcards
Leading causes of injury-related death
- MVC (blunt trauma)
- suicide (penetrating trauma)
- falls (blunt trauma)
Immediate death causes
seconds-minute
- Severe CNS injury
- hemorrhage
early death causes
min-hrs (2-4hr)
- hemorrhage
- severe TBI
late death causes
late (2 weeks)
- sepsis
- MOF (multisystem organ failure)
What is the golden hour?
when most potentially preventable deaths from trauma— most likely immediate-early death (hemorrhage, severe CNS injury, severe TBI)
Describe the trauma assessment
- Rapid primary evaluation
-ID and treat immediate life-threatening conditions - Resuscitation of vital functions
-Initiate treatment and monitor patient response - Detailed secondary assessment
-ID all injuries - Initiation of definitive care
stabilize and treat vs transfer or discharge
describe the primary survey
“ABCDE” approach to identify and treat the most life- threatening condition(s) first
airway/C spine control, breathing/ventilation, circulation/hemorrhage control, disability/neuro, exposure/environmental control
*Address any problems identified BEFORE continuing the assessment
FIND the bleeding, STOP the bleeding
describe resuscitation (step 2) in the trauma assessment
- Administer O2, IV access, control hemorrhage
2. Address life-threatening conditions
what is the secondary survey
Brief history, more thorough physical exam
- SAMPLE History (brief, from pt, family or EMS)
- Head-to-toe exam (ID all injuries, log-roll the pt)
- Continued monitoring
- Additional Imaging
What are life-threatening conditions that are found in the primary assessment and that need to be addressed
- Inadequate airway
- Pneumothorax – tension, open
- Hemothorax
- Cardiac tamponade
- Hemorrhage – internal, external
How do you provide appropriate resuscitation?
- Monitor VS
- Protect airway
- Improve ventilation, oxygenation
- Control bleeding
- Prevent hypothermia
- Maintain adequate tissue perfusion
How to manage the airway (in primary assessment)
- look for signs of inadequate airway/obstruction
2. secure the airway (incubate, trach)
Signs of inadequate airway or obstruction
- Noisy breathing = obstructed breathing
- Cyanosis (late finding)
- AMS (agitated vs obtunded/somnolent)
Injuries associated with compromised/obstructed airway:
- TBI, altered LOC
- Maxillofacial trauma
- Penetrating neck trauma
- Blunt neck trauma
types of airway maintenance
- Chin-lift maneuver
- jaw-thrust maneuver: higher risk of spinal cord injury due to hyperextension of the spine
- Airway adjuncts (oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal airway)
Indications for a definitive airway (ET intubation or surgical airway):
- Airway or breathing compromise (present or predicted)
- Unprotected airway
- GCS less than 8
- Combative or uncooperative patients who can’t otherwise be managed safely*
*get neuro exam PRIOR to chemical paralysis for intubation
Who do you want to immobilize with a C collar for C spine control:
- Unconscious or GCS less than 8
- Significant head/facial injuries
- Neurological deficit (Weakness, numbness, paresthesia’s)
- Neck pain, tenderness, limited ROM
- High risk mechanism of injury (Auto/ped, bicycle crash, MVA, falls)
*NEXUS and Canandian C-spine rules
NEXUS criteria for low probability of injury**
- no midline tenderness
- no focal neuro deficit
- normal alterness
- no intoxication
- no painful distracting injury**
- if Yes to any of these– need a C collar
- TO get the C collar off– need imaging!
Canadian criteria for detecting clinically important cervical spine injury: High risk factors
- age ove 65
- fall over 1 meter
- axial loading injury
- high speed MVC/rollover/ejection
- motorized recreational vehicle or bike collision
- presence of paresthesia
Canadian criteria for detecting clinically important cervical spine injury: low risk factors
- simple rear-end MVC
- not pushed into oncoming traffic
- not hit by a large bus or truck
- no rollover
- not hit by high-speed vehicle - sitting position in the ED
- ambulatory anytime
- delayed onset of neck pain
- no midline cervical tenderness
if someone comes in with a C collar and no NEXUS criteria what can you do?
can clear them after primary and secondary assessment if dont’ meet NEXUS criteria
How do you control the C-spine
In-line stabilization → hard collar → long board → sandbags and strap
*Logroll patient while maintaining head and c-spine immobilization
How do you assess breathing/ventilation
- VS: decrease BP, increased HR, RR can vary, decreased O2 sat, AMS
- Look: Accessory muscle use, sporadic respirations, asymmetric chest rise/fall, open chest wounds
- Listen: Absent breath sounds, dull (PTX) or hyperresonance percussion notes
- Feel: Crepitus, chest wall deformity, tracheal deviation
Hypotension can occur with:
- tension ptx,
- cardiac tamponade,
- hemorrhagic shock,
- neurogenic shock
AMS can occur with
- hypercarbia (obtunded, somnolent) vs
2. hypoxic (agitated)
What are initial resuscitative measures?
- Administer O2 by NC or bag-mask
- Obtain portable CXR
- Obtain definitive airway if inadequate ventilation
- Adequate Airway ≠ Adequate Ventilation
It is important to ID and address life threatening conditions. Common respiratory life threatening conditions to address when assessing breathing and ventilation in your primary survey includes:
- Tension pneumothorax
- Open pneumothorax
- Massive Hemothorax
- Flail chest
Signs and Sx of tension pneumothorax
- Absent breath sounds
- Tracheal deviation
- Hypoxia
- ↓BP
Signs and Sx of open pneumothorax
- “Sucking” chest wound
- Decreased breath sounds
- Hypoxia and hypercarbia
Dx: CXR or CT
Signs and Sx of hemothorax
- Decreased (but not absent) breath sounds
- Dullness to percussion
- ↓BP
tx of tension pneumothorax
Immediate needle decompression →
Chest Tube placement
tx of open pneumothorax
Occlusive dressing on 3 sides → Chest Tube placement
tx of hemothorax
Chest Tube placement
Needs for airway protection
- Severe maxillofacial fractures
- Risk of obstruction (Neck hematoma, Laryngeal or tracheal injury, Stridor)
- Risk for aspiration (bleeding, vomiting)
- Unconscious, GCS less than 8, Agitated/combative
Needs for ventilation or oxygenation
- Inadequate respiratory efforts (Tachypnea, Hypoxia or Hypercarbia, Cyanosis)
- Massive blood loss and need for volume resuscitation
- Severe closed head injury (to temporarily control ICP with hyperventilation)
- apnea (neuromuscular paralysis, unconscious)
When assessing circulation check:
- hypovolemia, shock, external hemorrhage
- VS and mental status: ↓BP, ↑HR, ↑RR, AMS
- Diminished pulses, delayed cap refill, ↑JVD
- Abnormal or muffled heart tones
- Cyanosis, cool and clammy skin
- Unstable pelvis
- Long bone fx – deformity, soft tissue swelling
What is Becks triad?
signs for cardiac tamponade
- muffled heart tone
- elevated JVD
- hypotension
Consider all injured patients who show signs of shock to have ___
hemorrhagic shock
*if trauma pt has soft BP–> do not give pressors until r/o hemorrhage
signs of hemorrhagic shock
- ↓BP,
- ↑HR,
- ↑RR,
- cool extremities,
- ↓cap refill,
- ↓UOP