Trauma Flashcards
Trauma is most common cause of death in what age groups?
1-44 yrs old
Primary survey in trauma is used for what?
identify and treat conditions that constitute immediate threat to life
First priority in primary survey?
AIRWAY
When is endotracheal intubation needed?
someone is apneic
AMS and can’t protect airway
inhalational injury, expanding hematomas etc
can’t oxygenate
Nasotracheal intubation can only be performed in pts that?
are breathing spontaneously
Preferred intubation route?
orotracheal; can see the vocal cords directly, can use bigger sized ETT
can be used to apneic pts
How do we confirm ETT?
direct laryngoscopy
wave capnography
b/l breath sounds
xray
In emergent surgical airway management, what is preferred?
cricothyroidotomy
For kids less than 11, why is a circothyroidotomy not done?
relative contraindication due to fear of subglottic stenosis
tracheostomy is thus preferred
These are some conditions that are an immediate threat to life and should be picked up and addressed during primary survey?
tension pneumo
flail chest
open pneumo
massive air leak
If a pt comes in with respiratory distress, hypotension, tracheal deviation away from affected side, decreased breath sounds on affected side, subQ emphysema, what do they have?
tension pneumo
Treatment for tension pneumo?
needle decompression with 14 gauge needle in 2nd intercostal space, mid clavicular line performed in field
tube thoracostomy done in the trauma bay before chest xray done
Where do we put a chest tube in, anatomically?
mid axillary line
4-5th intercostal space
chest tube directed superior/posterior
How does a tension pneumo work?
tear in lung acts as a one way valve
allows more air to go into chest, making chest filled with positive pressure
diaphragm gets depressed
mediastinum gets shifted to contralateral side
heart starts twisting around SVC and IVC
decreased venous return and decreased CO
What is an open pneumo?
sucking chest wound
free communication between pleural space and atmosphere
(atm and pleural pressures equilibrate)
Tx for an open pneumothorax?
tape wound on three sides, create one-way valve
definitive tx–> closure of wound, chest tube at different site
What’s flail chest?
when three or more contiguous ribs fractured in at least 2 different locations
In flail chest what is the source of the respiratory failure?
underlying pulmonary contusion
Massive air leaks can be due to tracheobronchial injuries, what are the two types:
I–> within 2 cm on carina, not assc with pneumo
II–> mor distal in tracheobronchial tree, assc with pneumo
For the carotid, femoral or radial pulses to be felt, what must be systolic bp be?
carotid; 60
femoral; 70
radial; 80
IV access for fluid resuscitation, what is preferred?
2 16 gauge catheters or larger in adults
Preferred sites for IO access?
proximal tibia
What’s massive hemothorax?
> 1500 cc of blood in chest on xray
in kids; 25% of circulating blood volume
Acutely, how much blood is needed to cause cardiac tamponade?
less than 100 cc needed