Trauma Care - EMS 137 at Virginia Highlands Community College
https://courses.vccs.edu/colleges/vhcc/courses/EMS137-TraumaCare
Effective: 2019-08-01
Course Description
Prepares the student to assess and manage injured patients, developing his/her problem-solving ability in the treatment of trauma involving various body systems.
Lecture 1 hour. Total 1 hour per week.
1 credits
The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.
General Course Purpose
The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to a variety of common traumatic injuries, including pathophysiology, signs, symptoms and treatments.
Course Prerequisites/Corequisites
Corequisite: EMS 138
Course Objectives
- Identify types of chest injuries, assessment and treatment
- Identify types of abdominal injuries, assessment and treatment
- Discuss the care of a patient suffering from an amputation
- Describe the assessment and treatment of a patient with a pelvic fracture
- Explain the pathophysiology, assessment and treatment of a patient with compartment syndrome
- Identify types of soft tissue injuries, assessment and treatment
- Identify types of burns, assessment and treatment
- Identify types of facial injuries, assessment and treatment
- Explain the pathophysiology, assessment and treatment of a patient with a laryngotracheal injury
- Identify types of brain injuries, assessment and treatment
- Describe the kinetics of trauma and related injury patterns
- Identify types of environmental injuries, assessment and treatment
Major Topics to be Included
- Chest Injuries
- Traumatic Aortic Disruption
- Pulmonary Contusion
- Blunt Cardiac Injury
- Hemothorax
- Open Pneumothorax
- Simple Pneumothorax
- Tension Pneumothorax
- Cardiac Tamponade
- Rib Fractures
- Flail Chest
- Commotio Cordis
- Abdominal Injuries
- Closed Abdominal Trauma
- Penetrating/Open Abdominal Trauma
- Considerations in Abdominal Trauma
- Amputations
- Location of amputation
- Tearing versus cutting amputations
- Assessment of amputated part
- Care of the amputated part
- Use of tourniquets
- Pelvic Fractures
- Types of fractures
- Pelvic instability
- Specialized pelvic immobilization devices
- Management of blood loss
- Compartment Syndrome
- Pathophysiology of injuries resulting in compartment syndrome
- Special Assessment Findings
- Management of patients with compartment syndrome
- Soft Tissue Injuries
- Closed soft tissue injury
- Open soft tissue injury
- General Assessment
- General Management
- Burns
- Complications of Burns
- Body Surface Area of Burns
- General Assessment of Burn Injuries
- General Management
- Specific Burn Injury Management Considerations
- Facial Fractures
- Types of facial injuries
- Unstable Facial Fractures
- Assessment Considerations in Facial and Eye Injuries
- Management Considerations in Facial and Eye Injuries
- Laryngeotracheal Injuries
- Pathophysiology
- Specific Assessment Considerations
- Specific Management Considerations
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Pathophysiology
- Specific Assessment Considerations
- Special Management Considerations
- Kinematics of Trauma
- Definition of kinematics of trauma
- Multi-System Trauma
- Blast Injuries
- Environmental Injuries
- Submersion incidents
- Temperature-related illness
- Special Assessment considerations
- Special management considerations
- Bites and Envenomation
- Electrical injury - Lightning strikes
- High altitude illness