Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I: An Overview of Trauma
1 Concepts and Terminology in Trauma Care, 5
Why Do Accidents Occur?
Emergency Management
Transfer of Patients
Levels of Trauma Care
Destructive Impacts
Wounds in a Trauma Victim
2 Care of the Trauma Victim in the Field, 28
Managing the Airway in the Field
A Breath of Life
Maintain Circulation
Disability: Can the Victim Talk and Move?
Expose the Victim
Special Problems in the Field
Mass Casualty Management
3 The Trauma Center, 41
The Dynamics of Trauma Care
The Level I Trauma Center
The Trauma Room
The Four First Steps in Trauma Care
4 Care of the Trauma Patient in the Operating Room, 50
The Operating Room
The OR Personnel
How Cases Are Listed: The “Bumping” Scenario
When Things Go Wrong in the OR
OR Atmosphere
PACU: The Recovery Area
The Intensive Care Unit
The Surgical Floor
Rehabilitation and Going Home
Part II: Specific Traumatic Injuries By Organ System
5 Head Trauma: From Concussion to the
Persistent Vegetative State, 63
Diffuse Brain Injury
Focal Brain Injury
Scalp Injury
Facial Injuries
Lower Jaw Injuries
6 Neck and Spinal Cord Injuries: Snapped, Stabbed and Strangled, 77
Direct Trauma to the Neck
Indirect Trauma to the Neck (Blunt)
The Treatment of Neck Fractures
Hangman’s Fracture
Autoerotic Asphyxiation
7 Chest Trauma: The Dirty Dozen Maiming Injuries, 87
The Dirty Dozen
Injuries That May Kill Within Minutes
Injuries That May Kill Within Hours
8 Abdominal Trauma: Beware of Hidden Damage, 98
Patterns of Intra-Abdominal Injury
Blunt Trauma to the Abdomen
Penetrating Trauma to the Abdomen
Diagnosing a Major Abdominal Injury
The Outcome of Abdominal Injury
9 Extremity Trauma: Crunched Arms and Legs, 112
The Upper Extremity
The Lower Extremity
Part III: Unique Traumatic Injuries
10 Bites: Animal Assaults, 128
Dog Bites
Human Bites
Snake Bites
Shark Bites
Horse Bites
Stings
The Brown Recluse Spider
Sea Life “Bites”
Animal Defenses
11 Impalement Injuries and Mutilation:
From Fencing to Fences, 142
Features of an Impalement Injury
Mutilation and Torture
12 Traumatic Amputations and Replantation:
Don’t Lose the Missing Part! 150
How a Finger Is Replanted
Are Kids’ Injuries Different?
A Warning!
13 Burns and Frostbite: The Scars of Temperature Extremes, 156
Burns
House Fire Smoke Inhalation
Electrical Burns
Lightning
Environmental Temperature Damage
Heat Stroke (Sun Stroke)
Heat Prostration (Heat Exhaustion)
Frostbite
Hypothermia
Other Cold Injuries
14 Diving Accidents and Altitude Illness, 171
Diving Accidents and Their Consequences
Decompression Sickness (“The Bends”)
Barotrauma
Nitrogen Narcosis (“Rapture of the Deep”)
Altitude Sickness
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)
High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)
15 Assaulted Elders, Battered Women and Injured Kids: The Defenseless, 182
Battered, Bruised and Abused Kids
The Pediatric Trauma Patient
Battered Women
The Pregnant Trauma Patient
Abused Elders
The Elderly Trauma Patient
16 Sexual Assault: Unspeakable Trauma, 201
What is Rape?
Why Do Men Rape Women?
Myths About Rape
The Initial Examination of the Victim
Sexual Assault Against Children
The Sexually Abused Adolescent
17 Organ Donations: Who Makes the Ultimate Gift?, 213
The Persistent Vegetative State
Who Becomes an Organ Donor?
A Short, Short Course on Transplant Biology
The Process of Obtaining Organs for Donation
The Process of Performing an Organ Transplant
Transplant Ethics
Appendix I, 229
Appendix II, 233
Bibliography, 234
Glossary, 237
Index, 239
