Types Of Injuries

There is almost no limit to the type of injury that ambulance paramedics have to deal with on arrival at the scene of a road accident. These can vary from ruptured spleens to broken and even severed limbs; broken skulls and fractured ribs; facial scarring or a severe loss of blood.

Spinal injury is one of the most feared of all injuries. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 50 percent of the 261 spinal-cord injuries recorded in Australia the previous year were caused by road crashes; 31 percent of victims were occupants of motor vehicles and 19 percent were motorcyclists,pedestrians or cyclists.

Of the vehicle occupants, more than 66 percent suffered injuries to the cervical (upper) segments of the spine, resulting in tetraplegia, the impairment or loss of movement in the arms, trunk, legs and pelvic organs. Of course the best way of reducing the number of people taken by ambulance from road smashes is to reduce the number of road accidents. But an effective system of trauma care will always be essential.

Once the victim is transported to hospital by ambulance, in most cases a nurse will conduct what is known as.triage’ - a preliminary assessment of the patient to determine the urgency with which he or she must receive treatment. Australian hospitals use the Triage Scale for this purpose.

When a severely injured road trauma patient arrives at the emergency section, the medical team will carry out
what is called the ‘primary survey’, which is based on the ABCDE system.

A. The Airway is checked for blockages. If necessary a tube is inserted into the trachea to bypass difficult to
remove blockages.

B. Breathing is assessed. Is the patient experiencing any difficulties breathing? Can he or she be assisted by using
a mask or a ventilator? A punctured lung is treated by draining air from the chest.

C. Next comes the circulation and hemorrhage control. Pressure bandages might be applied to control major
bleeding. The patient’s blood type is determined and transfusions made if necessary.

D. The neurological status of the patient is assessed - awake and alert, responding to voices or pain,
or unresponsive.

E. Finally, the patient’s clothes are removed, usually by cutting, so that injuries are not missed in the assessment,
with the ambient air temperature controlled to ensure the patient does not become hypothermic.

The primary survey is followed by a secondary survey that includes a complete physical examination involving a
range of tests and X-rays.

When you next hear the lament of an ambulance siren, know that a system of care is swinging into action.
Paramedics and rescue workers are rushing to the scene, and a team of doctors and nurses will be standing
by to receive accident victims. It is a daily occurrence in all Australian States as the struggle goes on to reduce
the number of road crashes and the suffering that inevitably follows.

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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 February 2008 15:54 )