Trauma Overview (Ch. 25)

Question 1

arterial air embolism

Answer 1

Air bubbles in the arterial blood vessels.

Question 2

blunt trauma

Answer 2

An impact on the body by objects that cause injury without penetrating soft tissues or internal organs and cavities.

Question 3

cavitation

Answer 3

A phenomenon in which speed causes a bullet to generate pressure waves, which cause damage distant from the bullet’s path.

Question 4

coup-contrecoup brain injury

Answer 4

A brain injury that occurs when force is applied to the head and energy transmission through brain tissue causes injury on the opposite side of original impact.

Question 5

deceleration

Answer 5

The slowing of an object.

Question 6

drag

Answer 6

Resistance that slows a projectile, such as air

Question 7

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score

Answer 7

An evaluation tool used to determine level of consciousness, which evaluates and assigns point values (scores) for eye opening, verbal response, and motor response, which are then totaled; effective in helping predict patient outcomes.

Question 8

index of suspicion

Answer 8

Awareness that unseen life-threatening injuries may exist when determining the mechanism of injury.

Question 9

kinetic energy

Answer 9

The energy of a moving object.

Question 10

mechanism of injury (MOI)

Answer 10

The forces, or energy transmission, applied to the body that cause injury.

Question 11

medical emergencies

Answer 11

Emergencies that require EMS attention because of illnesses or conditions not caused by an outside force.

Question 12

multisystem trauma

Answer 12

Trauma that affects more than one body system.

Question 13

penetrating trauma

Answer 13

Injury caused by objects, such as knives and bullets, that pierce the surface of the body and damage internal tissues and organs.

Question 14

potential energy

Answer 14

The product of mass, gravity, and height, which is converted into kinetic energy and results in injury, such as from a fall.

Question 15

projectile

Answer 15

Any object propelled by force, such as a bullet by a weapon.

Question 16

pulmonary blast injuries

Answer 16

Pulmonary trauma resulting from short-range exposure to the detonation of explosives.

Question 17

Revised Trauma Score (RTS)

Answer 17

A scoring system used for patients with head trauma.

Question 18

trajectory

Answer 18

The path a projectile takes once it is propelled.

Question 19

trauma emergencies

Answer 19

Emergencies that are the result of physical forces applied to a patient’s body.

Question 20

trauma score

Answer 20

A score calculated from 1 to 16, with 16 being the best possible score. It relates to the likelihood of patient survival with the exception of a severe head injury. It takes into account the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, respiratory rate, respiratory expansion, systolic blood pressure, and capillary refill.

Question 21

tympanic membrane

Answer 21

The eardrum; a thin, semitransparent membrane in the middle ear that transmits sound vibrations to the internal ear by means of auditory ossicles.

Question 22

work

Answer 22

The measure of force over distance.