OEC 6th Edition Chapter 18

Which of the following factors does not directly relate to the severity of bodily injury?

A) The amount of kinetic energy absorbed

B) The direction the kinetic energy travels

C) The size of the injured person

D) The density of the structures impacted

C) The size of the injured person

A 49-year-old man has been stabbed in the lower right chest. After assessing him, you suspect that the knife punctured the lung and is causing internal bleeding. In this situation, the mechanism of injury would be:

A) a penetrating injury.

B) an assailant with a knife.

C) blunt trauma to the lungs.

D) internal hemorrhage.

A) a penetrating injury.

Your friends are discussing a hunting accident they heard about on the news. A hunter was shot with a high-powered rifle, and the report indicated that he had damage to several internal organs. From your knowledge of mechanisms of injury, you can tell your friends that this type of injury is called a:

A) high-impact injury.

B) high-velocity penetrating injury.

C) projectile injury.

D) blast injury.

B) high-velocity penetrating injury.

Your patient has been stabbed in the chest with a ski pole. The mechanism of injury is:

A) blunt.

B) crush.

C) penetrating.

D) rotational.

C) penetrating.

What are two types of penetrating injuries?

High-velocity when faster than 2,000 feet/second and low-velocity

What are the 5 levels of trauma centers based on?

specialization, complexity, and availability of care

You arrive alone at a scene at which a 16-year-old skier has collided with a tree. He is unresponsive and has blood flowing from his ears and nose. He was not wearing a helmet. Which of the following lists reflects the most appropriate care of this patient?

A) Primary assessment, airway management, immobilization, transport as soon as possible

B) Primary assessment, oxygen administration, rapid transport to the aid room, immobilization in the aid room

C) Immobilization, transfer to a sled, completion of the assessment in the aid room

D) Primary assessment, immobilization, bandaging of the ears to control bleeding, airway management

A) Primary assessment, airway management, immobilization, transport as soon as possible

Impact/blunt injury

directly related to amount of time in which kinetic energy is absorbed, direction energy travels through body, and density of body structure impacted. Energy transmitted to underlying structures, can result in bruised tissues, broken bones, internal bleeding

Penetrating injury

Punctures the surface of the skin and damages underlying structures. Object in motion strikes body with enough kinetic energy to pierce skin or body moving enough kinetic energy to impale itself upon an object

Rotational injury

When energy is transmitted to the body in a twisting direction. Joint could be twisted in abnormal range of motion, primary factor is the direction energy is traveling, as opposed to amount

Crush injury

when body part is caught between 2 or more objects and sustains significant pressure

Blast injury 

Caused by explosive force, divided into 4 categories - primary, secondary, tertiary, miscellaneous

Blast pattern triad

initial apnea (wind knocked out) bradycardia (slow heart rate) and hypotension (low blood pressure)

Primary category of blast injury

Massive pressure wave that strikes body following rapid release and expansion of gases. Water dense issues minimally affected, air dense tissues like lungs/ears can be contused or ruptured

Secondary blast injury

Caused by airborne objects that strike the body

Tertiary blast injury

When body is forcibly thrown and strikes other objects like wall or ground, usually seen in high energy explosions

Miscellaneous blast injury

Caused by other blast-related factors like exposure to steam or burning materials, inhalation of toxins, impact by debris from collapsed building