1. Indications for T pod
In patients with blunt trauma who are in shock and have AMS, incidence of pelvic fractures is 10%. In patients who die of blunt trauma during transport, open book pelvis fracture is the #1 cause of death (according to our own QI data)
Read MoreIn our most recent post in the Air Care & Mobile Care Online Flight Physician Orientation, we talked about pelvic binding devices. As we noted, there's generally a paucity of evidence for or against the use of a pelvic binding device in blunt trauma patients. There are no hard and fast indications for the use of these devices. Whenever there is a lack of evidence for a particular treatment, we find ourselves looking to experts in the field for their experience and practice patterns. To that end, I asked some of of the #HEMS #FOAMed community to weigh in on the question and tell us their practice pattern
Read MoreAs we mentioned in the podcast that accompanied our most recent post, an injury that is critical to identify in blunt trauma yet easy to miss or forget is pelvic fractures and pelvic trauma. Significant injuries occurring to the pelvic ring usually involved high mechanisms of injury such as high speed MVCs, motorcycle crashes, pedestrian struck, and falls from significant height. Pelvic fractures can be associated with a significant amount of bleeding, hypotension, and increased mortality. Mortality for all trauma patients with pelvic trauma ranges from 5-30%. If there is associated hypotension, mortality rises to 10-42%
Read MoreSRU (pronounced "shrew") = Shock Resuscitation Unit
Training in, and managing, the SRU is one of the crown jewels of our residency. It is where the sickest of the sick patients are found in our ED. It is a crucible, a test of knowledge and strength, and a true manifestation of the tripartite mission of our department: Leadership, Excellence, and Opportunity.
Training in, and managing, the SRU is one of the crown jewels of our residency. It is where the sickest of the sick patients are found in our ED. It is a crucible, a test of knowledge and strength, and a true manifestation of the tripartite mission of our department: Leadership, Excellence, and Opportunity.
