Quiz Me
← Trauma Overview

EMT Basic · Chapter 25 · Review · Chapter track

Trauma Overview

Referencing the content of EMT-Basic training and emergency patient care

Learning objectives (15)

  1. Define the terms mechanism of injury (MOI), blunt trauma, and penetrating trauma — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  2. Describe multisystem trauma and the special considerations that are required for patients who fit this category — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  3. Describe the five types of motor vehicle crashes, the injury patterns associated with each one, and how each relates to the index of suspicion of life-threatening injuries — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  4. Discuss primary, secondary, tertiary, and miscellaneous blast injuries and the anticipated damage each one will cause to the body — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  5. Discuss the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma classification of trauma centers — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 901); confirm wording in your course copy.

  6. Discuss the effects of high-, medium-, and low-velocity penetrating trauma on the body and how an understanding of each type helps EMTs form an index of suspicion about unseen life — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  7. Discuss the special assessment considerations related to a trauma patient who has injuries in each of the following areas: head, neck and throat, chest, and abdomen — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  8. Discuss the three specific factors to consider during assessment of a patient who has been injured in a fall, plus additional considerations for pediatric and geriatric patients — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  9. Explain the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention field triage decision scheme as it relates to making an appropriate — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 901); confirm wording in your course copy.

  10. Explain the major components of trauma patient assessment; include considerations related to whether the MOI was significant or nonsignificant — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  11. Explain the relationship of the MOI to potential energy, kinetic energy, and work — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  12. Explain trauma patient management in relation to scene time and transport selection — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  13. List the criteria for the appropriate use of helicopter emergency medical services — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  14. Provide a general overview of multisystem trauma patient management — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

  15. Provide examples of the MOI that would cause blunt and penetrating trauma to occur — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 900); confirm wording in your course copy.

Chapter web resources

Optional reading from authoritative sites. Your textbook remains the primary source for this course.

When sources disagree (5 topics to verify before you teach from this chapter alone)

Printable study sheetPrintable flashcards (PDF, 10-up)Read first, then practise the track.

Showing Chapter track material. Switch tracks on the chapter page.

Vocabulary · 12

  • Mechanism of injury (MOI)

    The force or event that caused a patient's injuries; used to anticipate the patterns and severity of trauma.

    SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma — Mechanism of injury

    Learn more on the web

  • Kinematics

    The study of how energy is transferred from one object to another — applied to predicting injury patterns in trauma.

    SourceAmerican College of Surgeons — ATLS — Kinematics of trauma

  • Blunt trauma

    Injury caused by force that does not penetrate the skin — e.g., motor-vehicle collisions, falls, assault with blunt objects.

    SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma — Blunt vs. penetrating trauma

  • Penetrating trauma

    Injury caused by an object that breaks the skin and enters tissue — e.g., gunshot or stab wounds.

    SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma — Penetrating trauma

  • Golden Period

    The first hour after major trauma during which definitive surgical care most strongly improves outcomes.

    SourceAmerican College of Surgeons — ATLS — Golden hour concept

  • Platinum 10 minutes

    The first 10 minutes of EMS patient contact in major trauma — the window during which critical interventions and packaging should be done.

    SourceNAEMT — PHTLS — Platinum 10 minutes

  • Newton's first law of motion

    A body in motion stays in motion until acted on by another force — explains why occupants continue forward in a sudden vehicle deceleration.

    SourceAAOS — Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12e — Newton's laws applied to trauma

  • Cavitation

    Tissue displacement and damage along the path of a projectile, extending beyond the visible wound track.

    SourceAmerican College of Surgeons — ATLS — Penetrating ballistic injuries

  • Trauma center

    A hospital with specialized resources for severely injured patients, designated Level I (highest capability) through Level V.

    SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma — Trauma center designation

  • Triage

    Sorting patients by severity and likelihood of benefit to allocate care when resources are limited.

    SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma — Field triage

  • Index of suspicion

    Clinical anticipation of specific injuries based on mechanism, even when external signs are limited.

    SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma — Index of suspicion

  • Field triage criteria

    Evidence-based decision scheme used by EMS to determine which trauma patients should be transported to a trauma center.

    SourceCDC — Field triage guidelines

Sequences · 2

  • Trauma scene to handoff priorities — Order the EMT's macro priorities for a major trauma patient.
  • CDC field triage decision steps (simplified) — Order the simplified CDC field triage decision steps from most to least urgent.