Tuesday: 9/6/16 Surgery Exam 1 Flashcards
What is the pre-hospital management of a cervical spine trauma?
- Spinal immobilization
- Careful helmet removal
- Airway oxygenation
What is the ED management of cervical spine trauma?
- orotracheal intubation preferred unless significant facial trauma present
- Rapid-sequence intubation added for u scions patients who are breathing but need ventilatory support
- Inline cervical stabilization
- CT of entire cervical spine
- Monitoring for neurogenic shock from spinal cord injury
When is a laryngeal mask used?
Temporary measure to stabilize the patient until another airway can be established if orotracheal intubation fails
When is a nasotracheal intubation contraindicated?
- Apneic/hypopneic patients.
2. Basilar skull fractures because they are associated with cribriform plate disruption
Why is needle cricothryoidotomy not ideal in patients who might require hyperventilation to treat intracranial hypertension?
Risk of carbon dioxide retention
What can a cricothryoidotomy cause?
Tracheal stenosis
What is the pathophysiology of flail chest?
Caused by a blunt thoracic trauma and 3 or more ribs are fractured in 2 locations.
What are some findings in flail chest?
- Paradoxical chest wall motion with respiration.
2. Chest pain, tachypnea, rapid shallow breaths
What does a chest X-ray look like in flail chest?
Rib fractures +/- contusion/hemothorax
How do you manage flail chest?
- Pain control
- oxygen supplementation
- bilateral chest tubes if respiratory failure with positive pressure ventilation.
What causes respiratory failure in people with flail chest?
Pulmonary contusion and resultant collection of edema and blood in the alveoli
How does a diaphragmatic tear appear on X-ray?
As an abnormality in the diaphragmatic shadow, with herniation of abdominal contents into the left pleural space. The tip of the NG tube is typically seen in the left hemithorax rather than below the diaphragm
How does esophageal rupture appear on X-ray?
presents with subcutaneous crepitus and the X-ray has a pneumomediastinum.
What can lead to cardiogenic pulmonary edema?
Myocardial dysfunction may result from myocardial contusion and lead to pulmonary edema
How does pulmonary edema look on an Xray
bilateral alveolar infiltrates and interstitial markings would be expected on chest X-ray
How does tension pneumonthorax present?
- respiratory distress
- hypotension
- tachycardia
- tracheal and mediastinal displacement to the contralateral side
What is the pathogenesis of an epidural hematoma?
Trauma to sphenoid bone with tearing of middle meningeal artery
What are some clinical features of an epidural hematoma?
Brief loss of consciousness followed by luck interval
Hematoma expansion leads to decreased consciousness and increased intracranial pressure
How do you diagnose an epidural hematoma?
Head CT: Biconvex or lens shaped hyper density that does not cross suture lines
How do you treat an epidural hematoma?
Urgent surgical evacuation for symptomatic patients
What type of herniation can occur if an epidural hematoma goes untreated?
Uncal hernation
How does an uncal herniation present?
dilation of the pupil on the ipsilateral side of the lesion (due to oculomotor nerve compression) along with ipsilateral hemiparesis (due to contralateral crus cerebra compression)
When do you get a diffuse axonal injury?
traumatic acceleration/deceleration shearing forces that diffusely damage axons in the brain.
What does a head CT look like in diffuse axonal injury?
Diffuse small bleeds at the grey-white matter junction.
When does an acute subdural hematoma occur?
Traumatic shearing forces cause tearing of the bridging veins, leading to slow bleeding into the subdural space.
Who are more likely to get an acute subdural hematoma?
Patients with cerebral atrophy like the elderly or those with alcoholism.
What causes an increase in bleeding risk in someone who has had an SDH
The use of anticoagulants like warfarin
How does someone with an SDH normally appear
SDH usually develops gradually 1-2 days after the initial injury and often include impaired consciousness, confusion or symptoms of intracranial hypertension.
How does an SDH present on CT?
creascent shaped hyper density that crosses suture lines
How do cardioembolic strokes happen?
setting of a. fib. when a left atrial thrombus dislodges and occludes a cerebral artery.
Classic neuroimaging for cardioembolic strokes.
multiple lesions at the grey-white matter junction.
Pathogenesis of Normal pressure hydrocephalus.
decreased cerebrospinal fluid respiration by the arachnoid granulations
What are the neuroimaging findings for normal pressure hydrocephalus?
ventricular enlargement that is lout of proportion to sulci enlargement.