Fx pelvis and femur injuries

[Doczilla]

OK maybe I'm off my rocker

Isn't it a bad idea to roll someone with an unstable pelvis??

No, simply because rolling someone is necessary in the provision of care. The back must be assessed, the patient must be backboarded, and the pelvis should be wrapped in some sort of sling or pelvic immobilization device. None of these can be accomplished without rolling the patient. It's highly unlikely that rolling them would cause any harm other than the pain of doing it.

'zilla

[p3medic]

The only time I won't roll someone to assess the back is if they are already boarde, usually by fire, and they didn't look.....my report at the hospital usually starts with "I haven't seen his back, he was boarded when I got there...."

[Chief1C]

Spend five minutes cleaning dust of [sub:d415fa2cfb]MAST PANTS[/sub:d415fa2cfb] and trying to remember how to inflate. Legs first, then abd, or abd then legs, or right leg, abd, lef... oh screw it.

Open the stopcocks, inflate all at the same time. Never dusty.. Always ready to go, just like everything else.

[courageheartx]

So, courgeheart, What did you end up doing for this patient?

Well?what would you do for this pt?

[unknown]

blanket/sheet is good stabilizer for the pelvis... slide it uder the pt carefully then use it like a large turniquet. (Pelvic area only!) Makes moving the pt to the back board eaiser as well. Mast takes too long. KTD for the femur.............

[AZCEP]

blanket/sheet is good stabilizer for the pelvis... slide it uder the pt carefully then use it like a large turniquet. (Pelvic area only!) Makes moving the pt to the back board eaiser as well. Mast takes too long. KTD for the femur.............

The MAST is much faster than what you've described here. Place the patient on the MAST, wrap them up, and inflate. The sheet does nothing for the femur, and will only work if you are able to monitor placement and the amount of pressure you are using. This patient is too unstable to consider using a traction splint.

The MAST covers both bases very well.

[captainstandup]

I recommend taking care of his airway first. 24, shallow and labored with this MOI is a really strong indicator that a tension pneumo or hemo may exist. Unless I missed it in the thread, there was no mention of BBS.

With airway issues you simply must take a look at the patients back to ensure you aren't missing / ignoring an occult insult to the chest wall, lungs, etc. The airway issues alone are indication enough to immediately stabilize to the best of your ability and roll this patient to perform a proper airway / spinal assessment.

[unknown]

The MAST is much faster than what you've described here. Place the patient on the MAST, wrap them up, and inflate. The sheet does nothing for the femur, and will only work if you are able to monitor placement and the amount of pressure you are using. This patient is too unstable to consider using a traction splint.

The MAST covers both bases very well.

Well.... You ain't experinced EMS in the back hills of the Ozark Mnts where IF a set of Mast pants was avalible half the responders wouldn't know what they where!!

So sorry--- just going with what I have seen in action..... sometimes you gotta improvise and do whats best for the pt with what you've got to do it with. THIS is also why HEMS is used so much in my area. Local ER nothing more than a glorified First Aid Station-- even if the EMS went in route the ER Doc is calling for HEMS before the Pt makes it to the ER just from report given!! 1 1/2 hour trip to the closest Trauma center by ground....... 35 mins by air........

[Chief1C]

Well?what would you do for this pt?

Call an ambulance!

wouldn't know what they where!!

Then blame their EMS educator.

[Scaramedic]

The sheet, invented around 3400 BC by the Egyptians.

M.A.S.T. - Invented in the 1960's.

The Sam Pelvic Sling, invented 2003

Let's try to keep up people.