Key Terms CH. 29

Question 0

Angle of impact

Answer 0

The angle at which an object hits another; this characterizes the force vectors involved and has a bearing on the pattern of energy dissipation .

Question 1

Acceleration

Answer 1

The rate of change in velocity; speeding up

Question 2

Arterial air embolism

Answer 2

Air bubbles in the arterial blood vessels

Question 3

Avulsion

Answer 3

A tearing away or forcible separation

Question 4

Barometric Energy

Answer 4

The energy that results from sudden changes in pressure as may occur in a diving accident or sudden decompression in an airplane

Question 5

Biomechanics

Answer 5

The study of the physiology and mechanics of a living organism using the tools of mechanical engineering.

Question 6

Blast front

Answer 6

The leading edge of the shockwave

Question 7

Blunt trauma

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Brisance

Answer 8

The shattering effect of a shockwave and it’s ability to cause disruption of tissue and structures

Question 9

Cavitation

Answer 9

Cavity formation; shockwave that push tissue in front of and lateral to projectile and may not necessarily increase the wound size or cause permanent injury but can result in cavitation.

Question 10

Chemical energy

Answer 10

The energy released as a result of a chemical reaction

Question 11

Deceleration

Answer 11

A negative acceleration —that is, slowing down

Question 12

Electrical energy

Answer 12

The energy delivered in the form of high-voltage

Question 13

Entry wound

Answer 13

The point at which a penetrating object enters the body

Question 14

Exit wound

Answer 14

The point at which a penetrating object leaves the body, which may or may not be in a straight line from entry wound.

Question 15

Gravity

Answer 15

The acceleration of the body by the attraction of the earth’s gravitational force, normally 32.2 ft/sec2

Question 16

Implosion

Answer 16

A bursting inward

Question 17

Index of suspicion

Answer 17

Anticipating the possibility of a specific type of injury

Question 18

Kinetic energy

Answer 18

The energy associated with bodies in motion, expressed mathematically as half the mass times the square of velocity.

Question 19

Kinetics

Answer 19

The study of the relationship among speed, mass, vector direction, and physical injury.

Question 20

Law of conservation of energy

Answer 20

The principle that energy can be neither created nor destroyed; it can only change form.

Question 21

Mechanical energy

Answer 21

The energy that results from motion (Connecticut energy) or that is stored in object (potential energy).

Question 22

Mechanism of injury

MOI

Answer 22

The way in which trauma injuries occur; The forces that act on the body to create damage.

Question 23

Missile fragmentation

Answer 23

The primary mechanism of tissue disruption from certain rifles in which pieces of projectiles break apart, allowing the pieces to create their own separate path through tissue.

Question 24

Multisystem trauma

Answer 24

Trauma caused by generalized mechanisms which affect numerous body systems.

Question 25

Negative wave pulse

Answer 25

The phase of the explosion in which pressure from the blast is less than atmospheric pressure.

Question 26

Newton’s first law of motion

Answer 26

The principle that a body at rest will remain at rest until acted on by an outside force.

Question 27

Newton’s second law of motion

Answer 27

The principle that the force that an object can exert is the product of its mass times it’s acceleration.

Question 28

Pathway expansion

Answer 28

The tissue displacement that occurs as a result of low-displacement shock waves that travel at the speed of sound in tissue.

Question 29

Penetrating trauma

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Permanent cavity

Answer 30

The path of crushed tissue produced by a missile transversing part of the body.

Question 31

Positive wave pulse

Answer 31

The phase of the explosion in which there is a pressure front with a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure.

Question 32

Potential energy

Answer 32

The amount of energy stored in an object, the product of mass, gravity, and height, that is converted into kinetic energy and results in injury, such as from a fall.

Question 33

Pulmonary blast injuries

Answer 33

Pulmonary trauma resulting from short range explosions to the detonation of high explosives.

Question 34

Revised trauma score

RTS

Answer 34

A scoring system used for patients with head trauma.

Question 35

Shearing

Answer 35

An applied force or pressure exerted against the surface and layers of the skin as tissues slide in opposite but parallel planes.

Question 36

Spalling

Answer 36

Delaminating or breaking off into chips and pieces.

Question 37

Trauma

Answer 37

Acute physiological and structural change that occurs in a victim as a result of the rapid dissipation of energy delivered by an external force.

Question 38

Trauma score

Answer 38

A score that relates to the likelihood of a patient survival with the exception of a severe head injury. It is calculated on a scale of 1-16, with 16 being the best possible score. It takes into account the GCS score, respiratory rate, respiratory expansion, systolic BP, and cap refill.

Question 39

Tympanic membrane

Answer 39

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

Question 40

Velocity

V

Answer 40

The distance an object travels per unit time.

Question 41

Waddell triad

Answer 41

A pattern of automobile-pedestrian injuries in children and people of short stature in which (1) the bumper hits pelvic and femur, (2) the chest and abdomen hit the grill or low hood, and (3) the head strikes the ground.

Question 42

Whiplash

Answer 42

An injury to the cervical vertebrae of their supporting ligaments and muscles, usually resulting from a sudden acceleration or deceleration.