Trauma and Surgical Management Flashcards
Model trauma care systems
- Prevention
- Access
- Acute hospital care
- Rehabilitation
- Research activities
regional resource, state-of-the-science care, education, outreach, and research
Level I
provides care for trauma patients and transfer to Level I if needed
Level II
community hospital where no Level I or II exists
Level III
provides advanced trauma life support (ATLS)
and transfer
Level IV
Primary prevention
prevent the event
• Driving safety classes
• Speed limits
• Campaigns to not drink and drive
Secondary prevention
minimize the impact of the traumatic event • Seat belt use • Airbags • Car seats • Helmets
Tertiary prevention
maximize patient outcomes after a traumatic event through emergency response systems, medical care, and rehabilitation
Trauma Team
- Similar to code team
• Team members preassigned
• Trauma surgeons, emergency department physicians, and specialists
• Nurses
• Ancillary services: radiologic technologists, laboratory
technicians, respiratory therapists, and social workers
TRAUMA TRIAGE
- Essential for determining if patient needs to be transferred to a Level I trauma center
- Made by prehospital personnel
- Criteria in place to guide decision
- ABCs and lifesaving interventions
- Ground versus air transport
DISASTER AND MASS CASUALTY MANAGEMENT
- A sudden event that overwhelms EMS, hospitals, community resources
- Environmental, man-made, terrorism-related
- Internal disaster
- Disaster protocols
- Disaster debriefing
MECHANISMS OF INJURY
- Knowledge helps to identify potential problems
- Uncontrolled source of energy
- Kinetic energy
- Thermal, chemical, electrical, radiation, blast
BLUNT TRAUMA
• Severity depends on kinetic energy dissipated to the body
• Common vehicular trauma, assault with blunt objects, falls, and sports
- Acceleration
- Deceleration
- Shearing
- Crushing
- Compression
PENETRATING TRAUMA
- Impalement of foreign objects into the body
- Stab wounds are low-velocity injuries
- Ballistic trauma (e.g., gunshot injuries)
- Medium velocity: handguns, some rifles
- High velocity: assault and hunting rifles
- Velocity and missile (bullet) determine tissue damage
- Cavitation
BLAST TRAUMA
• Blunt and penetrating trauma • Tissue and organ injury • Gas-containing organ injury (e.g., eardrums, lungs, intestines) • Blast injury: • Primary • Secondary • Tertiary • Quaternary