1 Why are penetrating neck wounds unique? Although comprising only a small percentage of body surface area, the neck contains a heavy concentration of vital structures: Vascular (common, internal, and external carotid arteries, vertebral arteries, internal and external jugular veins)…
1 What is the difference between a spinal column injury and a spinal cord injury? Injuries to the spinal column can include damage to bone, disks, and/or ligaments. These injuries may induce spinal instability. Instability results when the spine can…
1 Is traumatic brain injury (TBI) a common problem? Yes. In the United States, 1 in 12 deaths are due to injury. About 30% of traumatic deaths are associated with TBI. Of deaths resulting from motor vehicle accidents, 60% are…
1 What is hemorrhagic shock? Shock exists when the cardiovascular system is no longer able to meet the body’s metabolic and oxygen needs, resulting in cellular injury. In other words, the tissues are not adequately perfused to meet their oxygen…
1 What are the major components of the initial assessment of the trauma patient? The major components of the initial assessment of the trauma patient are primary survey and resuscitation, primary survey adjuncts, secondary survey, reevaluation as needed, and transfer…
1 What defines a geriatric patient? “Geriatrics” is best described as promoting the health of seniors. There is no specific age at which a patient is prescribed geriatric treatments. The United Nations uses 60+ as the numerical criterion, and most…
1 What is sepsis? Sepsis is a profound host immune response to infection. This systemic process can be accompanied by hypotension and can cause acute organ dysfunction. 2 What is septic shock? Septic shock is when hypotension secondary to sepsis…
1 What infectious diseases are transmissible via blood transfusion? Over 100 million blood donations are collected annually worldwide. Approximately half of these are collected in developed countries. Viruses, parasites, and bacteria and the diseases they transmit have all been found…
1 Have modern antibiotic developments controlled many, if not most, of the problems of surgical infection? No. In seriously ill surgical patients in intensive care unit (ICU) settings, the problems of sepsis have increased and remain among the principal causes…
1 What is the surgeon’s responsibility when confronted by a patient with an acute abdomen? a. To identify how sick the patient is (treat the patient first and then the disease). b. To determine whether the patient (1) needs to…