Concepts in Trauma Care 01: The Biomechanics of Trauma

2.00 Contact Hours (CE) Course Description: Throughout childhood and most of adulthood, trauma remains the leading cause of death in the United States. Care of the traumatically injured patient is uniquely different from care of the patient with other medical problems and requires both a unique knowledge base and skill set for all those involved with that care. This series is designed to provide the learner with the knowledge base and skill set needed to care for this unique patient population. It is not designed to replicate other trauma programs currently available, but instead to augment those programs, giving learners a deeper understanding of the traumatically injured patient. Novices to trauma care as well as those with an extensive background in trauma will find this series to be stimulating and an invaluable asset in care of the trauma patient. Program Learning Outcomes: 1. List common injuries associated with various forms of trauma. 2. Distinguish normal from abnormal findings when performing an assessment of the traumatically injured patient. 3. Discuss current treatment modalities being utilized in the care of the traumatically injured patient. 4. Differentiate care strategies for unique populations of traumatically injured patients. Module Description: Understanding the mechanism that causes a traumatic injury may help the healthcare provider better establish the types of injuries to anticipate and may partially guide both assessments and interventions. This lecture will review common types of falls, motor vehicle collisions, motorcycle and bicycle incidents and auto-versus-pedestrian incidents, comparing the injury patterns commonly associated with each. This module is rich with video examples of the various mechanisms of injuries discussed. Module Learning Outcomes This module prepares the learner to: 1. Differentiate injury patterns associated with frontal, side impact, rear impact and rollover motor vehicle collisions. 2. Anticipate the types of injury patterns associated with road-bike and speed-bike collisions. 3. Verbalize the components of Waddell’s triad. 4. Identify the height at which the risk for injury and death related to a fall increase.