Trauma Primary Survey
Jason H. Planas; David F. Sigmon.
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Last Update: April 28, 2020.
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Introduction
The primary survey is designed to assess and treat any life-threatening injuries quickly. It should be completed very rapidly. The main causes of death in a trauma patient are airway obstruction, respiratory failure, massive hemorrhage, and brain injuries. Therefore, these are the areas targeted during the primary survey. The following are some of, but not all, the specific injuries that may be identified during a primary survey, which may be potentially life-threatening:
Airway obstruction
Tension pneumothorax
Massive internal or external hemorrhage
Open pneumothorax
Flail chest
Cardiac tamponade
Intracranial bleed
A trauma patient refers to something like a car accident...not a fall in the home.
Falls may be the most common cause of death but have you looked at the statistics. Elderly popele die due to falls not children
When children do die from falls it takes hours due to a subdural bleed.
We have been through this before...no one was able to come up with an incident of a childs fall causing immediate or fairly quick death.