Types of Traumas and Treatments Flashcards
This deck should help you to recognize the types of traumas you might encounter and know the most appropriate prehospital treatments.
What are the characteristics of an arterial bleed?
This bleeding is characteristically bright red and spurts in time with the pulse.
What are the characteristics of a venous bleed?
This bleeding is darker than arterial bleeding and flows steadily.
What are the characteristics of capillary bleeds?
This bleeding is dark red and oozes from the wound slowly and steadily.
What are the different types of external bleeds?
Capillary, Venous, and Arterial
Which types of bleeding are most likely to clot spontaneously?
Venous and capillary bleeding.
What are the causes of internal bleeding?
High-energy mechanisms of injury
(blast injuries, falls, motor vehicle crashes, etc)
or nature of illness
(ulcers, ruptured ectopic pregnancy, aneurysms, etc.)
What are some methods used to control external bleeding?
Direct pressure, tourniquets, hemostatic dressings, wound packing.
What are some methods used to control internal bleeding?
We can’t control internal bleeds, but we can treat for shock and transport rapidly.
What are two types of closed injuries?
Contusion and Crushing injury
What is compartment syndrome?
An increase of pressure within a closed soft-tissue compartment. This can result in impairment of circulation of nutrients and oxygen, resulting in tissue death.
What is crushing syndrome?
When the patient’s tissues are crushed beyond repair and release harmful substances into the surrounding tissue (caused when the body is trapped for longer than 4 hours with the arterial blood flow being compromised).
What are the four types of open injuries?
Abrasions, Lacerations, Avulsions, and Penetrating wounds.
What primary part of the body does an abrasion affect?
The superficial layer of the skin, usually does not penetrate completely through the dermis.
What is the difference between a laceration and an incision?
A laceration is a jagged cut in the skin caused by a sharp object or a blunt force that tear the tissue. An incision is a sharp, smooth cut.
Describe an avulsion.
An injury that separates various layers of soft tissue so they become either completely detached or hang as a flap.
What type of shock would most likely result from an amputation?
Hypovolemic shock.
What should be a main consideration when treating a penetrating wound?
No matter how small the entrance hole, consider that the internal damage may be extensive.
What is a primary blast injury?
Injury to the body caused by the blast wave itself (sudden pressure changes).
What is a secondary blast injury?
Injuries caused to the body by being struck by flying debris propelled by the force of the blast.
What is a tertiary blast injury?
Injuries to the body from being thrown by the force of the explosion into an object or onto the ground.
How would you care for a penetrating wound with an impaled object?
Stabilize the object. If bleeding, apply pressure around the area. Only remove if hindering CPR.
RICES
What is R?
Rest. Keep the patient quiet and comfortable
RICES
What is I?
Ice. Use ice or cold packs to slow bleeding and reduce pain.
RICES
What is C?
Compression. Apply pressure over the injury site to slow bleeding
RICES
What is E?
Elevation. Raise the injured part just above the level of the patient’s heart to decrease swelling.
RICES
What is S?
Splinting. Immobilize to decrease bleeding and reduce pain.
What is an air embolism?
How can you reduce the risk of one developing?
This occurs when air gets sucked into a blood vessel and blocks the flow of blood into the lungs and cause cardiac arrest.
Cover the wound in an occlusive dressing.
True or False. You should consider all small animal bites as contaminated.
True.
True or False. Human bites are not serious injuries because humans clean their mouths more frequently than animals, resulting in a lower risk of infection.
False.
What are the types of ways that burns occur?
The transfer or radiation, thermal, or electrical energy.
What are the five factors to determine burn severity?
1) Depth
2) Extent
3) Critical areas
4) Age
5) Preexisting medical conditions
Mnemonic I use for this: Don’t Eat Crusty Ass Pasta
What burn type and percentage would require transfer to a burn center for a patient 10-50 years old?
Partial-thickness burns of 20% or greater.
What burn type and percentage would require transfer to a burn center for a patient younger than 10 years old or older than 50?
Partial-thickness burn of 10% or greater
What burn type and percentage would require transfer to a burn center regardless of age?
Full-thickness burns of 5% or greater
What are some examples of burns which would require transfer to a burn center regardless of age and percentage and thickness?
High-voltage electrical injuries, significant chemical burns, concomitant (burn related) traumatic injury or significant ongoing medical, inhalation injury
What area of the body would require transfer to a burn center regardless of type and percentage?
Any burn to the hands, face, feet, genitalia, or major joints.
How would you treat a chemical burn of the eye?
Flushing the eye with water or a sterile saline solution for 20 minutes.
How would you treat a thermal burn of the eyelids?
provide prompt transport and cover both eyes with a sterile dressing moistened with sterile saline. Transport to a designated burn center.
How would you treat a light burn of the eye? (infrared and ultraviolet rays)
Cover each eye with a sterile, moist pad and an eye shield. Have the patient lie down during transport to prevent exposure from bright light.
How would you treat a laceration to the globe of the eye?
Apply no pressure (pressure can result in loss of vision from damage to the retina). If part of the globe is exposed, gently apply a moist, sterile dressing. Cover the injured eye with a protective eye shield, cup, or sterile dressing to prevent drying.
How should you treat an eyeball displaced from out of its socket?
Do not attempt to reposition it. Cover the eye and stabilize it with a moist, sterile dressing. Remember to cover both eyes to prevent further injury. Place the patient supine during transport to prevent further fluid loss.
What would variation of pupil size be an indication of?
A brain injury.
If the patient does not move his or her eyes together, what are they likely suffering from?
Muscle entrapment caused by a blow-out fracture.
What are some traumas to consider in environmental emergencies?
What is a full-thickness (third-degree) burn?
Extends through all skin layers and may involve muscle, bone, or internal organs. Area is dry and leather and may appear white, dark brown, or even charred.
What is a superficial (first-degree) burn?
Involves only the top layer of skin, the epidermis. ex: a sunburn.
At what point would you apply sterile water or saline solution to a burn?
If the skin or clothing is still hot or smoldering. (Remember to remove all jewelry in an affected area)
Under which circumstances would you need to remove contact lenses from a patient’s eye?
In the case of a chemical burn, because, the lens can trap the chemical and make irrigation difficult.
How should the patient be positioned for nontrauma epistaxis (nosebleed).
Forward with nostrils pinched together.
What fluid is coming out when there is a dot of blood on the gauze haloed by a lighter ring of fluid?
Cerebrospinal fluid
How should the patient be placed for a traumatic epistaxis (nosebleed)?
Maintaining manual cervical spine position while taking the necessary steps to maintain a clear airway.
When bandaging the ear, what is an extra step necessary to ensure patient comfort?
Placing a soft, padded dressing between the back of the ear and the scalp.
True or False. A child has place a crayon in his left ear. It is visible and seems like it would be easy to pull out. You should grip the crayon with tweezers and pull gently to ensure no further damage to the canal.
False. You should never try to manipulate a foreign body because you may press it further into the auditory canal and cause further damage.
What should you do when a patient has very loose teeth or bone fragments in the mouth?
Remove and save them, along with any loose dentures or dental bridges.
True or False. Any injury to the neck should be considered life threatening until proven otherwise in the emergency department.
True
Describe subcutaneous emphysema.
A leakage of air into the soft tissues of the neck, producing a crackling sensation.
What should you be most alert for with subcutaneous emphysema in the throat?
Progressive airway obstruction due to rapid swelling or bleeding.
What should be applied to bleeding in the neck, to ensure air does not enter a vein?
An occlusive dressing
What are some signs of a larynx injury?
Respiratory distress, hoarseness, pain, difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), cyanosis, pale skin, sputum in the wound, subcutaneous emphysema, bruising on the neck, hematoma, or bleeding.
What is the function of the meninges?
Three distinct layers of tissue that suspend the brain and the spinal cord within the skull and the spinal canal.