Prehospital Emergency Care: Trauma Overview

How a person is injured; the way an injury occurs.

When a vehicle strikes an object.

When a person inside a vehicle strikes the interior.

When a person's organs hit the inside of the body.

Important considerations when treating someone with trauma.

Evaluating the extent of injuries in a trauma patient.

MOI shows possibility of injury, not certainty.

Changes in energy direction and form due to obstacles; collisions.

High suspicion of injuries exists in vehicle collisions involving fatalities, altered mental status, intrusions over 12 inches (for occupants),deformed steering wheels, and ejection from the vehicle.

Initial whiplash injuries to head and neck; subsequent injuries can follow an 'up-and-over' or 'down-and-under' pathway, affecting knees, femurs, hips, and spine.

In a rear-end collision with an unrestrained occupant, initial motion is back, then forward, causing head, neck, and chest injury.

A deformed steering wheel indicates a possible chest or abdominal injury.

Properly adjusted headrests and seatbelts reduce injuries in rear-end collisions by minimizing whiplash.

Injuries caused by an explosion.

Pressure wave injury from an explosion.

Injuries from flying debris in an explosion.

Trauma involving multiple body systems.

EMTs must consider factors like the patient's injuries and condition when deciding on transport location for optimal treatment.

Injuries in a side impact collision can affect various parts of the body, including the head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and extremities, with injury severity dependent on the force of impact and the body parts involved.

Factors affecting pedestrian injuries in vehicle collisions include vehicle speed, body part hit, distance thrown and landing surface.

Properly fastened seat belts/restraints offer protection; however, improper use or lack of restraint can still cause significant hidden injuries, more common in children and infants.

Motorcycle collisions can involve rotational or rollover crashes. These feature multiple impacts and changes in direction, and often affect the head, neck, limbs, and internal organs.

Motorcycle crash injury patterns can range from head-on or angular impacts to ejection, making injuries less predictable.

Helmet use significantly reduces harm and death risk in motorcycle crashes. Injuries vary widely, but head injuries are common.

Rollover crashes generally cause multiple injuries due to the various impacts and changes in direction. Ejection, and crushing injuries are common and the body may be hit multiple times.

Laying the bike down after a crash can lead to severe abrasions and burns due to friction and impact with the ground.

A set of severe injury signs indicating the need for immediate transport to a trauma center.

Bleeding inside the body, often indicated by shock symptoms.

Changes in consciousness, awareness, or thinking abilities.

Injury caused by an object piercing the skin and entering the body.

Loss of a body part, typically limb or extremity.

Criteria indicating potential serious injuries, requiring transport to a trauma center if other factors are present.

Essential guidelines for prehospital trauma care, emphasizing safety, airway management, bleeding control, and oxygenation.

The highest priority in trauma care, ensuring rescuer safety before approaching the patient.

Essential for survival of seriously injured patients. Get them to a trauma center quickly.

Splints fractures in unstable trauma patients, immobilizing the spine.

Avoid focusing solely on dramatic injuries, consider the full picture.

The force behind injury, determined by mass and velocity.

Networks for rapid surgical intervention for severely injured patients.

Can cause massive bodily injury, exceeding the body's ability to repair.