This interactive lecture focuses on the special situations presented to prehospital care providers regarding pediatric and geriatric trauma patients. While the priorities of care do not change with age, physiologic differences are key to assessing and treating pediatric and geriatric patients. The challenges presented by patients with burns, multiple patient situations, and the decision to withhold or terminate trauma resuscitation are also discussed.
After completing this course, the practitioner will be able to:
Identify the various depths of burns.
Explain how ice can deepen the depth of burns.
Determine burn size using the rule of nines.
Calculate fluid resuscitation needs using the Parkland formula.
Explain appropriate burn dressings for prehospital care.
Identify the anatomic and physiologic differences in children that account for unique pediatric injury patterns.
Relate the importance of managing the airway and restoring adequate tissue oxygenation in pediatric trauma patients.
Identify the quantitative vital signs for pediatric trauma patients.
Apply management techniques for the various traumatic injuries found in pediatric patients.
Outline the epidemiology of trauma in the elderly population.
Explain the anatomic and physiologic effects of aging as a factor in causes of geriatric trauma and as a factor in the pathophysiology of trauma.
Explain the interaction of various pre-existing medical problems with traumatic injuries in geriatric patients and how these interactions produce differences in the pathophysiology and manifestations of trauma.
Compare and contrast the assessment techniques and considerations used in the elderly population with those used in younger populations.
Practitioners who successfully complete the Special Considerations in Trauma (ALS Edition) course are eligible for 1 hour of continuing education
