EMS Care Chapter 33 | Soft Tissue injuries | Soft Tissue injuries begin with an introduction to the subject. We subsequently explore in-depth the following lessons:
Core Concepts covered :
Open injuries can occur anywhere, depending on the mechanism of injury and the area that was exposed to it.
An abdominal wound is an injury in the abdominal cavity that could expose the internal organs. Typically, you can see organs protruding through the wound and this is called evisceration.
Open injuries on the neck are life-threatening as the open veins in the neck can suck in air and cause cardiac arrest. So, cover the wound with an occlusive dressing right away. Apply manual pressure and or a pressure dressing to control bleeding, but make sure not to compress both the carotid arteries at the same time. It should go without saying that nothing should be wrapped around the neck. A pressure dressing applied to the neck should cover the wound on the affected side and then under the arm on the unaffected side. If there is a large wound or bilateral wound, more than one pressure dressing may be applied.
In any of these situations, apply a dry and sterile dressing, immobilize that area with a splint or a bandage, and transport the patient right away. Remember that a longboard is the largest splint you have. You may utilize a longboard or scoop stretcher for splinting in this application.
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