PHTLS Review
Trauma is the leading cause of death for which age group? - ANS Ages 1-44
The mortality rate for young men is _______ that of women. - ANS 2x
Reference 506 in LA County determines what? - ANS Trauma Criteria/Trauma Triage Decision
What established trauma as a major problem in America? - ANS Highway Traffic Safety Act of
1966 "White Papers - Accidental Death & Disability"
How many levels of trauma centers are there? - ANS 4
Level 1 Trauma Center - ANS - Regional Trauma Center
- Tertiary Care
- All types of specialty surgeons 24/7
- Blood Bank
- CT scan & X-ray all in house and staffed
- Multisystem trauma
- Injuries that will kill you w/in an hour
Level 2 Trauma Center - ANS - Area Trauma Center
- Most common trauma emergencies
- Surgical capabilities 24/7
- Isolated injuries
Level 3 Trauma Center - ANS - Community Trauma Center
- Specialized ED
- Only some surgical capability
Level 4 Trauma Center - ANS - Community hospital
- Stabilizes and transfers
What different considerations fall under trauma decisions? - ANS Physiological
Anatomical
Mechanical
What are guidelines and special considerations? - ANS Considerations to transport to a trauma
center via consulting with base hospital
What is the Golden Hour? - ANS Best survivability from incident to surgery
,What is the Platinum 10? - ANS The 10 minutes allowed on scene to stabilize, package, and
begin transporting patient
When is air transportation recommended? - ANS When it is faster or a higher skill level is
required
What are the types of injury prevention? - ANS - Engineering
- Enforcement
- Education
- Economics
Engineering Injury Prevention - ANS Structural Design (ex. pool alarms, air bags, OnStar, lane
change detection, etc.)
Enforcement Injury Prevention - ANS Laws (ex. helmet, seatbelt, smoke detectors, etc.)
Education Injury Prevention - ANS Information, training classes (ex. PSA's, safety fairs, school
visits, car seat checks, etc.)
Economic Injury Prevention - ANS How to pay for programs (ex. grants, awards, taxes, etc.)
What falls under quality management? - ANS Quality Improvement
Quality Assurance
***ACCURATE DOCUMENTATION IS NEEDED FOR BOTH***
What is quality improvement? - ANS Examining and improving
What is quality assurance? - ANS Evaluate calls to determine if standards were met
Which categories must go to a trauma center per Reference 506.1? - ANS Categories 1, 2, or 3
Which categories should go to a trauma center, but won't be in trouble if you don't per
Reference 506.1? - ANS Categories 4 & 5
What percentage of injuries can be predicted accurately if kinematics are evaluated? - ANS
95%
What are the three phases of a crash? - ANS Pre-Crash (PMH, drugs, alcohol)
Crash (kinematics)
Post-Crash (MOI, IOS, assessment, management)
Three impacts during the crash phase? - ANS Object
, Occupant
Organs
Newton's First Law of Motion - ANS A body at rest will remain at rest and a body in motion will
remain in motion until acted upon by an outside force
Law of Conservation of Energy - ANS Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can
change forms (ex. braking)
What plays the biggest role/factor for kinetic energy? - ANS Speed
What are the different types of injury patterns and their potential injuries? - ANS - Up/Over
(face, airway, tracheal fracture, diaphragmatic rupture)
- Down/Under (femur and pelvic fracture)
- Lateral (clavicle, humerus, ribs, pelvis, femur)
- Rear (whiplash, cervical hyperextension)
- Rotational (shearing of heart, liver, lungs)
- Rollover (ejection, crush)
What are three signs of a tracheal fracture? - ANS Subcutaneous Emphysema
Stridor
S.O.B.
How much more likely are you to die in a rollover crash? - ANS 6x (75% of ejections result in
deaths)
Differentiate between kids and adults in a car vs. pedestrian collision... - ANS Kids freeze in
place (down/under)
Adults try to move out of the way (up/over)
What is the purpose of restraints in motor vehicles? - ANS They are designed to slow the
occupant with the vehicle
What is the biggest determinant of severity of injury in a fall? - ANS Height of the fall and
compressibility
What are the different types of blast injuries? - ANS - Primary (hollow organs like ear drums,
lungs, intestines)
- Secondary (fragmentation bomb parts/flying debris)
- Tertiary (contact with the ground or building collapse)
- Quatemary (heat and fumes from explosion)
- Quinary (biological, chemical, nuclear additions to bomb)