Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Grab and Go vs. Stay and Play?
Interesting article out of Baltimore this morning that discusses the benefits of spinal immobilization. It cites a study that concluded victims of penetrating trauma were twice as likely to die if they were boarded and collared than those who were not, an effect attributed to the delay in transport to the hospital. I'm sure EMS bloggers will have more to say on the subject, but it just goes to show you that policy and protocols are always evolving.
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The reason there are more deaths when the patient is immobilized could be due to the fact that those immobilized often have had more significant or life threatening injuries than those not immobilized. Yeah someone with a tooth pick in their eye (technically a penetrating trauma depending on MOI) does not need to be immobilized and is very likely to survive. However a person who fell on reebar and has it sticking through their abdominal cavity does need to be immobilized to minimize movement and furthur injury. They also have a greater chance of dying due to the injury. Also from my experience those who have more grave penetrating injuries usually need to be immobilized due to the MOI and often a prolonged extrication.
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