Trauma Slides Flashcards
What are the 5 stages of a motor vehicle collision?
- Deceleration of vehicle
- Deceleration of occupants
- Deceleration of organs
- Secondary Collisions (other objects in vehicle)
- Additional Impacts (car involved in subsequent impacts)
Which contributes more to kinetic energy, mass or velocity?
velocity!
KE = M/2V2
Give examples of anatomical restraints and mobile organs which may be involved in deceleration injuries
Anatomical Restraints
- Skull
- Sternum
- Ribcage
- Spine
- Pelvis
Mobile Organs
- Brain
- Heart
- Liver
- Spleen
- Kidneys
- Intestines
Where are spinal injuries due to shear forces likely to arise in deceleration trauma
At junctions between mobile and non-mobile areras
ex: C7/T1 or T12/L1
List three ways in which aortic rupture occurs in deceleration trauma
- Shear forces
- Hydrostatic Forces (water hammer effect)
- Bony compression
What is a bucket handle injury of the intestine
Free floating section of bowel, severed from mesentery due to deceleration trauma
How does brain tissue respond to compressive forces?
It doesn’t! Brain tissue does not compress, but it does swell afterwards
What are the two common injury patterns to front seat occupants in MVI? What injuries are commonly seen?
Down and under
- Slide under dash
- Transfer of energy through femurs to pelvis
- Impact chest on steering column
- Rotation of torso
Up and over
- Go over dash
- Head impacts windshield
- Steering wheel impacts chest, abdomen, and pelvis
- Risk of ejection
- Anterior neck impacts steering wheel
List three findings on examination of the front compartment of a vehicle which may give clues to potential injury patterns
- Deformed windscreen/front of vehicle
- Deformed dashboard
- Deformed steering column
List possible injuries associated with a deformed front of vehicle or windshield
- Traumatic brain injury
- Cervical spinal injury
- Injury to trachea/larynx/pharynx/ hyoid
- Soft tissue and bony injury to face
List possible injuries associated with a deformed steering wheel/column
- Injury to trachea/larynx/pharynx/ hyoid
- Fractures- Ribs, sternum, clavicle
- Flail chest
- Myocardial/pulmonary contusion
- Cardiac tamponade
- Pneumothorax/hemothorax
- Aortic tear/rupture
List possible injuries associated with a deformed dashboard
- Rupture of abdominal organs
- Fracture or dislocation of patella
- Femur fracture
- Pelvis fracture
- Hip dislocation
- Tib/fib fracture
- Spinal fracture due to hyperflexion
Lateral impacts to vehicles are associated with ________ (more/less) serious injuries to occupants. Why?
MORE!
Fewer safety features = faster acceleration/deceleration
Describe the pattern of injury when an adult pedestrian is struck by a vehicle of normal size.
- Vehicle’s bumper impacts lower limbs
- Pedestrian strikes vehicle’s bonnet
- Pedestrian thrown from bonnet to ground
Describe the pattern of injury when an pediatric pedestrian is struck by a vehicle of normal size.
- Vehicles bumper impacts pelvis/femur
- Chest/abdo hit grill or low on bonnet
- Head strikes bonnet then ground
What is Waddell’s triad?
The triad of injury patterns seen in pediatric ped struck situations
- Vehicles bumper impacts pelvis/femur
- Fractured femoral shaft
- Chest/abdo hit grill or low on bonnet
- Intrathoracic/abdominal injuries
- Head strikes bonnet then ground
- Contralateral head injury
What five factors should be considered when assessing a fall from height?
- Height of fall
- Orientation on landing
- Area of impact
- Surface of impact
- Physical condition of the patient (pre-existing)
Children tend to fall _________ (head/feet) first while adults fall ________first
Children = head first
Adults = feet first
What are four physical factors of a patient which may exacerbate injuries from a fall from height?
- Osteoporosis
- Conditions resulting in enlarged organs
- Coagulopathy
- Young children
What are the four main injury mechanisms in blasts?
- Primary injury
- Caused by pressure shockwave
- Secondary injury
- Struck by flying debris
- Tertiary injury
- Being thrown into other objects
- Other injuries
- random other things associated with blasts
What are the meningeal layers and regions where intracranial bleeding can occur?
- Epidural Space (between Dura and skull)
- Dura Mater
- Subdural Space (between Dura and arachnoid)
- Arachnoid Mater
- Subarachnoid Space (between Arachnoid and Pia)
- Pia Mater
- Intracerebral/intraparenchymal/vestibular (within brain matter or ventricles)
What is the Monro-Kellie doctrine?
- Cranium is a fixed-volume container of:
- brain
- blood
- csf
- Increasing pressure forces one (or more) of the three out
- usually starts with CSF, then blood, then brain.
- Hydrocephalus removes this compensatory mechanism
What form of bleeding (arterial or venous) is associated with each kind of intracranial bleeding following trauma?
- Epidural = Arterial
- Subdural = Venous
- Subarachnoid = Usually venous in trauma, arterial if spontaneous
- Intracerebral = either or both
Which form of ICH is most salvageable if caught on time and managed appropriately?
epidural hemorrhage
On the other hand, cataastrophic if not caught/managed early. Brain death within 1-2h if left untreated