EMT Basic · Chapter 31 · Review · Chapter track
Abdominal and Genitourinary Injuries
Referencing the content of EMT-Basic training and emergency patient care
Learning objectives (15)
Define closed abdominal injuries; provide ex- amples of the mechanisms of injury (MOIs) likely to cause this type of trauma, and com- mon signs and symptoms exhibited by pa- tients — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1117); confirm wording in your course copy.
Define open abdominal injuries; include the three common velocity levels that distinguish these injuries, provide examples of the MOIs that would cause each, and describe common si — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1117); confirm wording in your course copy.
Demonstrate how to apply a dressing to an abdominal evisceration wound — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1118); confirm wording in your course copy.
Demonstrate proper emergency medical care of a patient who has a penetrating abdominal injury with an impaled object — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1118); confirm wording in your course copy.
Demonstrate proper emergency medical care of a patient who has experienced a blunt abdominal injury — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1118); confirm wording in your course copy.
Describe some special considerations related to the care of pediatric patients and geriatric patients who have experienced abdominal trauma — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1117); confirm wording in your course copy.
Describe the anatomy and physiology of the abdomen; include an explanation of abdominal quadrants and boundaries and the difference be- tween hollow and solid organs — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1117); confirm wording in your course copy.
Describe the anatomy and physiology of the fe- male and male genitourinary systems; include the differences between the hollow and solid organs — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1118); confirm wording in your course copy.
Describe the different ways hollow and solid organs of the abdomen can be injured, and include the common signs and symptoms ex- hibited by patients depending on the organ or organ — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1117); confirm wording in your course copy.
Discuss the types of traumatic injuries sus- tained by the male and female genitouri- nary systems, including the kidneys, urinary bladder, and internal and external genitalia — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1118); confirm wording in your course copy.
Explain assessment of a patient who has ex- perienced a genitourinary injury; include special considerations related to patient privacy and determining the MOI — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1118); confirm wording in your course copy.
Explain assessment of a patient who has ex- perienced an abdominal injury; include com- mon indicators that help determine the MOI and whether it is a significant MOI — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1117); confirm wording in your course copy.
Explain special considerations related to a patient who has experienced a genitourinary injury caused by a sexual assault, including patient treatment, criminal implications, and e — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1118); confirm wording in your course copy.
Explain the emergency medical care of a pa- tient who has sustained a closed abdominal injury, including blunt trauma caused by a seat belt or airbag — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1117); confirm wording in your course copy.
Explain the emergency medical care of a patient who has sustained a genitourinary in- jury to the kidneys, urinary bladder, external male genitalia, female genitalia, or rectum — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 1118); confirm wording in your course copy.
Chapter web resources
Optional reading from authoritative sites. Your textbook remains the primary source for this course.
- MedlinePlus abdominal injuries · NIH
Abdominal and GU trauma
When sources disagree (5 topics to verify before you teach from this chapter alone)
Showing Chapter track material. Switch tracks on the chapter page.
Vocabulary · 11
Peritoneum
The thin membrane lining the abdominal cavity and covering most abdominal organs.
SourceNIH MedlinePlus — Peritoneum
Solid organ injury
Damage to a dense, blood-rich organ — liver, spleen, kidney, pancreas — typically presenting with internal bleeding and shock.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons — ATLS — Solid organ injury
Hollow organ injury
Damage to a tube-like organ — stomach, bowel, bladder — that may spill contents into the abdomen and cause peritonitis.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons — ATLS — Hollow viscus injury
Evisceration
Protrusion of internal organs through an open abdominal wound.
SourceMerriam-Webster Medical Dictionary — Evisceration
Kehr's sign
Referred left shoulder pain caused by diaphragmatic irritation from splenic injury or hemoperitoneum.
SourceMerriam-Webster Medical Dictionary — Kehr's sign
Cullen's sign
Periumbilical bruising suggesting retroperitoneal hemorrhage or pancreatitis.
SourceMerriam-Webster Medical Dictionary — Cullen's sign
Grey-Turner's sign
Flank bruising indicating retroperitoneal hemorrhage.
SourceMerriam-Webster Medical Dictionary — Grey-Turner's sign
Seat-belt sign
A band of bruising across the abdomen following a vehicle collision; raises suspicion for bowel, mesenteric, or vertebral injury.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons — ATLS — Seat-belt sign
Renal contusion
Bruising of the kidney from blunt trauma, often presenting with flank pain and hematuria.
SourceAmerican Urological Association — Renal trauma
Pelvic fracture
A break in one or more bones of the pelvic ring; high-energy fractures can produce massive internal bleeding and instability.
SourceAAOS OrthoInfo — Pelvic fractures
FAST exam
Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma — bedside ultrasound performed at the hospital to detect free fluid in the abdomen and pericardium.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons — ATLS — FAST exam
Sequences · 2
- Field care of an evisceration — Order EMT steps for an abdominal evisceration.
- Abdominal trauma assessment in the field — Order the EMT's exam sequence in suspected abdominal trauma.