Things to do in case of injury

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Mai Anh Kha - Orthopedic surgeon - Department of General Surgery - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

When experiencing an injury, the first thing to do is give first aid to prevent complications and further damage. In some cases, it can help patients reduce the risk of death and promptly take them to the hospital.

Trauma is a medical emergency. The main cause of injuries is traffic accidents. Injuries that are not treated promptly can lead to further injury or complications, or even death.
Therefore, in case of injury, it is necessary to quickly call an ambulance, then identify the signs of danger and have a comprehensive examination. First aid is the golden time for the patient to have surgery to save his life.

The first step in trauma management is to detect and handle life-threatening situations such as airway obstruction, respiratory failure, bleeding, shock, and coma.
Airway and cervical spine injury:
When the patient has difficulty breathing, cyanosis, it is necessary to detect and remove the foreign body from the airway.
If the patient is comatose, it is most likely a cervical spine injury. It is necessary to tilt the head and raise the patient's chin by pulling the jaw.
Respiratory failure:
The causes of respiratory failure are usually thoracic or nerve damage. Need to open the airway for the patient, count the breaths and observe the breathing pattern.
Circulation:
In case the patient stops circulating, immediately apply chest compressions.
Stop bleeding if there is a massive bleeding wound, use your fingers to press firmly on the bleeding wound. After the wound stops bleeding, use a direct compression bandage.
Traumatic shock usually occurs after blood loss. Signs of shock include: paleness, malaise, cold limbs and rapid pulse. The late sign is a drop in blood pressure.

The patient needs a comprehensive examination to detect lesions including:
Head and face: palpate the bones of the head to identify deformities, bleeding or cerebrospinal fluid from the ears, nose or mouth. Eyes: check pupillary reflex and ophthalmoscopy. Neck and back: Check for signs of fracture, but avoid bending or turning the neck if cervical spine injury cannot be ruled out. Chest: Observe the skin for bruises and bleeding. Assess breathing pattern, chest movement, and signs of dyspnea. Abdomen: check for bruises and lacerations in the skin of the abdomen. Observe the movement of the abdominal wall according to breathing, look for signs of resistance or tumors and hematomas. Extremities: look for scratches, bruises, lacerations and fractures. If there is bleeding, it is necessary to stop the bleeding promptly with a towel or clothing. For fractures, it is necessary to fix the fracture site, to avoid further injury, to increase the possibility of surgery for the patient. Then take the patient to the nearest medical facility.

The maximum injury scale is 12 points. The scale helps to classify and evaluate the prognosis of patients.
Minor injury over 8 years old, severe from 6-8 points and very serious injury less than or equal to 5 points. The child injury scale is calculated as follows:

In case of injury from two or more parts, it is called multiple trauma. In case of trauma with broken organs such as broken liver, ruptured spleen ... should absolutely limit movement, to avoid this damage even more serious. And must be operated as soon as possible.
In summary, trauma is a medical emergency. When encountering an injured person, it is necessary to first ensure and manage vital signs including: airway, circulation and trauma to the cervical spine and thoracic spine. Then assess the patient's overall condition to take timely measures. For severe cases, it is necessary to immediately call an ambulance so that the patient is taken to a medical facility as soon as possible.
With more than 22 years of professional experience, Doctor Mai Anh Kha used to hold the position of Head and Deputy of Department of Surgery - Plastic Burns at Hue Central Hospital and worked at other large medical units such as Da Nang Hospital, Traffic Hospital 5. Currently, he is an Orthopedic Surgery Doctor - General Surgery Department - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
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