Trauma - Mechanism Study Guide Flashcards
Give a few example of “mechanism of injury” and why it is important in EMS?
Fall off of a ladder, gunshot wound, head-on motor vehicle collision, baseball bat hitting the head are all examples of a mechanism of injury.
MOI is used to describe how an injury occurred and help determine how serious the injuries are. For example, an MOI where someone is injured during a 10 mph head-on crash is much less life-threatening than someone that was injured during a high-speed vehicle rollover
What factors would raise your index of suspicion?
- Children
- Elderly
- Alcohol or drug use
- Language or cultural barrier
Name three type of motor vehicle collisions:
Head-on, Rear impact, Rollover, Rotational, Lateral impact
What is kinetic energy?
*Use the formula for kinetic energy, explain how a car traveling twice as fast as another, will have four times the amount of energy during an impact
Kinetic energy is the amount of energy an object has while in motion. It is represented by the formula: KE = 1/2 Mass x (Velocity x Velocity).
Due to velocity being squared, the amount of energy increases rapidly when the speed increases.
What is the difference between kinetic energy and potential energy?
Kinetic energy is the energy an object has in motion (i.e. A bullet flying through the air).
Potential energy is the energy stored within an object (i.e. A car stopped at the top of a hill).
Why are there less injuries sustained from motor vehicle collisions today than forty years ago?
Due to improvement in automobile technology and design, a car manufactured today is designed to absorb energy and protect the occupants.
Cars are equipped with safety restraint systems.
Due to legislation and public education, seatbelt use has drastically increased.
What are the three types of blast injuries and how do they cause injuries?
Primary blast injury - this is the initial explosion and the blast waves that hit the person
Secondary blast injury - these types of injuries are caused by flying objects or shrapnel hitting the person
Tertiary blast injury - the injuries sustained when a person is thrown and hits another object, such as a building or the ground.
What are the three components of the Glasgow coma scale?
Eye opening. Verbal response. Motor response.
Eyes 4 - Spontaneous 3 - To Speech 2 - To pain 1 - None
Verbal 5 - Alert and oriented 4 - Confused 3 - Inappropriate words 2 - Incomprehensible words 1 - None
Motor 6 - Obeys commands 5 - Localizes pain 4 - Withdraws from pain 3 - Abnormal flexion 2 - Abnormal extension 1 - None
What is the difference between a penetrating and blunt injury?
A penetrating injury breaks the surface of the skin (bullet or knife).
A blunt injury results from an object hitting the body (baseball bat).
What is cavitation, when related to gunshot wounds?
Cavitation is the void space left behind by a bullet traveling through the body. Due to the shock waves of the bullet, the space created can be larger than the object itself.
