Injuries Caused byBlunt Force Trauma
...were not severe to cause any skeletal damage. Soft tissue can be the area between the skin and the skeleton. Injuries to the soft tissue can cause hematomas by rupturing blood vessels and lacerations by forcing the tissue at angles against bony projections of the skeleton. Soft tissue injuries are rarely life threatening, however, they are helpful in the identifying of possible underlying injuries. While a vehicle is in motion, the body is moving at the same speed as the vehicle. When the forward motion is suddenly stopped, the body still keeps forward motion until it strikes an object. The body has now stopped its forward motion but the organs inside the body are still moving forward and they won’t stop until they strike the skeleton. The initial injuries are to the lower extremities, resulting in fractures to the ankles, knee dislocations, and femur fractures before the head and neck areas strike the windshield. (2) These injuries are accelerating due to the sudden forward motion. Today, the restraint system in use prevents people from striking or penetrating the windshield. The body’s forward motion is now pulled back into the vehicle resulting in decelerating injuries. Cars that are equipped with front airbags protect the abdominal area from hitting the steering wheel. Some cars are equipped with side airbags that protect the lateral part of the body. The forces exerted on the restraint system can cause some major bruising which is minor to having vital organs severely injured. The bruising is useful in that it alerts people on scene and the doctors to check for any underlying injury. There is a chance that the brain will be forced into the skull as the head strikes the windshield. This is a focal brain injury and causes severe bleeding leading to hematomas in the dura, arachnoid, or pia areas. (3) Depending on where the bleeding is, hematomas can be fatal because the deeper the hematoma the less chance for survival. Damage to the lobes can impair a person’s ability to think, have mobility, sensory integration, and live a normal life. There is not much to protect the head, neck, spinal cord, and column so they are vulnerable to a lot of trauma. This type of injury is a diffuse brain injury or closed head injury because of the sudden movement of the head. (2) A diffuse brain injury can result in a concussion or coma depending on the severity. (3) The top seven spinal vertebrae are the bones of the neck. The cervical area can be moved around with so much force that the bones can easily be compressed into each other or crushed. Some of the major nerves that travel to parts of our body to control our everyday functions originate from the neck. Treatment of the head and neck can range from a craniotomy to help in the reduction of swelling to the brain, surgery to stop bleeding, and the use of traction devices that keep the neck in alignment. The chest is another area after the head and neck that can be susceptible to blunt trauma. Normal palpation will dictate where the patient is having pain and a chest x-ray will show rib fractures or a pneumothorax. Injuries to the thoracic area need to be diagnosed immediately because of underlying organs, that if not examined can lead to death. Depending on which ribs are injured dictates what organs or vessels are injured. A fracture of ribs 1 and 2 can penetrate the heart and lungs and injuries to the lower ribs can cause abdominal damage to organs such as the liver, spleen, kidneys, stomach and even to the diaphragm. If a rib penetrates the lung, a pneumothorax or hemothorax develops. For fractured ribs, the best treatment is medication like an opiate (Morphine) (4) along with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (Toradol). (4) (5) Insertion of a chest tube that removes the air or fluid to inflate the lung repairs a pneumothorax or hemothorax by reinflating the lung. Soft tissue injuries, in the thoracic chest area, are hard to find. (2) Computed Tomography (CT scan) will show any fluids that might be leaking. Major vessels to the heart (such as the aorta and the subclavian arteries) have high pressures and any type of trauma will case the blood to flow into the pericardium. Without blood flowing, shock is almost certain. Injuries to these vessels are life threatening and need to be repaired immediately. A tear along the vessel wall can be surgically fixed, but if the vessel has been torn from the heart then the blood loss is too severe to save the patient. The availability of CT scans has reduced the mortality rate because of the quickness in diagnosing injuries. Injuries to the trachea and bronchia happen and a few patients are admitted to the hospital. These people usually die before reaching the hospital due to a transection of the airway. (2) To maintain adeq...