Chapter 25 - Trauma Overview

Arterial Air Embolism

Air bubbles in the arterial blood vessels

Blunt Trauma

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

Cavitation

A phenomenon in which speed causes a bullet to generate pressure waves, which cause damage distant from the bullet's path

Coup-Contrecoup Brain Injury

A brain injury that occurs when force is applied to the head and energy transmission through brain tissue causes injury on the opposite side of original impact

Deceleration

The slowing of an object

Drag

Resistance that slows a projectile, such as air

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) Score

An evaluation tool used to determine level of consciousness, which evaluates and assigns point values (scores) for eye opening, verbal response, and motor response, which are then totaled; effective in helping predict patient outcomes

Index of Suspicion

Awareness that unseen life-threatening injuries may exist when determining the mechanism of injury

Kinetic Energy

The energy of a moving object

Mechanism of Injury (MOI)

The forces, or energy transmission, applied to the body that cause injury

Medical Emergencies

Emergencies that require EMS attention because of illnesses or conditions not caused by an outside force

Multisystem Trauma

Trauma that affects more than one body system

Penetrating Trauma

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

Potential Energy

The product of mass, gravity, and height, which is converted into kinetic energy and results in injury, such as from a fall

Projectile

Any object propelled by force, such as a bullet by a weapon

Pulmonary Blast Injuries

Pulmonary trauma resulting from short-range exposure to the detonation of explosives

Revised Trauma Score (RTS)

A scoring system used for patients with head trauma

Trajectory

The path a projectile takes once it is propelled

Trauma Emergencies

Emergencies that are the result of physical forces applied to a patient's body

Trauma Score

A score calculated from 1 to 16, with 16 being the best possible score; it relates to the likelihood of patient survival with the exception of a severe head injury; it takes into account the GCS score, respiratory rate, respiratory expansion, systolic blood pressure, and capillary refill

Tympanic Membrane

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

Work

The measure of force over distanc