Chapter 15: Trauma Flashcards
First peak for trauma deaths (0-30 minutes)
Deaths due to lacerations of heart, aorta, brain, brainstem, or spinal cord; cannot really save these patients; death is too quick.
Second peak for trauma deaths (30 minutes-4 hours)
Deaths due to head injury (#1) and hemorrhage (#2); these patients can be saved with rapid assessment (golden hour)
Third peak for trauma deaths (Days to weeks)
Deaths due to multi system organ failure and sepsis
80% of all trauma
Blunt injury
Most commonly injured organ in blunt trauma
Liver
Falls: biggest predictors of survival
Age and body orientation.
LD50 is 4 stories
MC’ly injured organ in penetrating injury
Small bowel
MCC death in 1st hour
Hemorrhage
When is blood pressure affected in hemorrhage?
30% of total blood volume lost
How do you resuscitate hemorrhage?
2L Lactated Ringers, then switch to blood
MCC death after reaching the ER alive
Head injury
MCC upper airway obstruction -> perform jaw thrust
Tongue
Injuries: seat belts
Small bowel perforations, lumbar spine fractures, sternal fractures
Best site for cutdown for venous access
Saphenous vein at ankle
- Used in hypotensive patients with blunt trauma
- Need laparotomy if DPL is positive
DPL
Criteria: positive DPL
> 10 cc blood, > 100,000 RBCs/cc, food particles, bile, bacteria, > 500 WBC/cc
What does a DPL miss?
Retroperitoneal bleeds, contained hematoma
DPL for pelvic fracture
Needs to be supra umbilical
What does FAST stand for?
Focused abdominal sonography for trauma
Where does FAST scan check?
Perihepatic fossa
Perisplenic fossa
Pelvis
Pericardium
Disadvantages of FAST scan
- Examiner dependent
- Obesity can obstruct view
- May not detect free fluid
What does FAST scan miss?
Retroperitoneal bleeding, hollow viscous injury
Hypotensive patients: negative FAST scan, negative DPL. What to do?
Find the source of bleeding (pelvic fracture, chest, extremity)
When do you need a CT scan following blunt trauma?
- Abdominal pain
- Need for general anesthesia
- Closed head injury
- Intoxicants on board
- Paraplegia
- Distracting injury
- Hematuria