Trauma Assessment
This assessment begins with controlling catastrophic hemorrhage before checking the airway.
What is the XABCDE assessment?
This is the first intervention for most external bleeding.
What is direct pressure?
Absent breath sounds on one side with hypotension and respiratory distress suggest this injury.
What is a tension pneumothorax?
This scale evaluates neurologic status using eye, verbal, and motor responses.
What is the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)?
This burn assessment tool estimates total body surface area burned.
What is the Rule of Nines?
This Glasgow Coma Scale component evaluates eye opening, verbal response, and motor response.
What is neurologic assessment (Disability)?
This device should be placed high and tight when severe extremity bleeding cannot be controlled.
What is a tourniquet?
This dressing is applied to a sucking chest wound.
What is a vented chest seal?
Unequal pupils after trauma may indicate this serious condition.
What is increased intracranial pressure (ICP)?
This triage system is commonly used during mass casualty incidents.
What is START?
This report format includes Mechanism, Injuries, Signs, and Treatment.
What is a MIST report?
This type of shock is the most common in trauma patients.
What is hypovolemic shock?
This chest injury causes paradoxical chest wall movement.
What is flail chest?
This type of spinal care is now performed selectively instead of automatically on every trauma patient.
What is spinal motion restriction (SMR)?
Children often maintain normal blood pressure until this occurs.
What is sudden decompensation?
This survey identifies and treats immediate life threats before moving to a head-to-toe exam
What is the primary survey?
These are the three most common preventable causes of trauma death.
What are massive hemorrhage, airway obstruction, and tension pneumothorax?
This life-threatening chest injury is associated with Beck's Triad.
What is cardiac tamponade?
This late sign of increased ICP includes hypertension, bradycardia, and irregular respirations.
What is Cushing's Triad?
This device is applied for suspected unstable pelvic fractures.
What is a pelvic binder?
This trauma assessment is performed after life-threatening injuries have been addressed.
What is the secondary survey?
This medication may be considered early in severe hemorrhage according to many trauma protocols
What is tranexamic acid (TXA)?
This ALS procedure relieves pressure from a tension pneumothorax.
What is needle decompression?
Preventing these two conditions is critical to reducing secondary brain injury.
What are hypoxia and hypotension?
This trauma patient population may appear stable despite significant blood loss because of medications like beta blockers or anticoagulants.
Who are geriatric patients?