Rapidly developing scenarios. Confusion Severe trauma casualties. Multiple area mass casualties. Limited medical personnel. Limited on-site medical supplies. Disorganized or overtaxed medical support infrastructure.
Some Natural and Social Disasters have a Medical Environment Similar to the Battlefield
Oklahoma City
London Bombings
Bystanders May Be the First Responders After a Mass Casualty Event Involving Blast and Ballistic Trauma
This Course
The material you will be taught today is derived from the U.S. Special Operations Command Doctrine of Tactical Combat Casualty Care. TCCC is taught to all SEALS, Army RANGERS and Special Forces, as well as all Army Medics and Navy and Corpsmen. It is designed to control the preventable causes of death resulting from blast and ballistic injury until higher level care can be provided.
Course Content
You will be introduced to the major causes of death in blast and ballistic trauma and learn how to: - control catastrophic hemorrhage - manage an airway - manage an open chest wound - i.d. casualties requiring immediate advanced care
Course Content
You will be able to accomplish these tasks using only minimal improvised equipment.
You will also learn how to create a prepackaged Emergency Trauma Medical Kit using commercially available medical materials.
Explosive Blast
Rapid conversion of an explosive solid or liquid into highly pressurized gases which expand / compress the surrounding air. Thermal pulse, pressure wave, blast wind, and shrapnel are generated and spread in all directions.
Blast Injuries
Related to the distance from the epicenter of the blast (reversed in water)
1.0
Inury Type Distance from epicenter
Thermal
Ballistic
Blast Injury
THERMAL PULSE
BALLISTIC Shrapnel Fragments and Debris - 5,900 ft/sec to 1,900 ft/sec. OVERPRESSURE Partial or complete traumatic amputation. Debris, bone fragments, and other tissues are driven up between proximal tissue planes with muscles stripped from the bone.
It may be found as an isolated injury or in association with other severe blast injuries.
However, its presence does not indicate that more sinister blast injuries exist.
Over-pressure injury spreads down the trachea and bronchi causing alveolar rupture with hemorrhage into the alveoli. Bleeding can be significant (1000ml) in severe cases.
LEAF effect - blast wave disrupts alveolar tissue but leaves overall bronchiole structure.
Chest pain Signs of a Stroke Unilateral Blindness Tongue blanching Cutus Marmorata
Damage to select surface areas of the brain caused by blast pressure wave Nerve fibers stretched and broken. Unconsciousness. Length of Coma indicates severity of damage
Permanent Cavity
Temporary Cavity
Deceleration Yaw
SOFT TISSUE Sonic Shock Wave
Permanent Cavity - localized tissue death along bullet tract Temporary Cavity - elastic tissue displacement and rebound Exit wounds are not always greater than entrance wounds
Tissue Ballistics
36% Fragmentation
Tissue Destruction
Effect of temporary cavitation in a solid organ as a result of a penetrating high-velocity projectile (7.62.x39 mm).
Contusion (severe bruising) can be seen in both blast and ballistic injury.
A minor degree may occur with trauma or high velocity nonpenetrating plate strikes.
Micro-hemorrhage into the lung alveoli in addition to the penetrating injury.
Navy SEAL Task Force PAPA tasked to destroy Noriegas personal jet aircraft located at Punta Paitilla Airfield.
3 SEAL Assault platoons encircled the Learjet hanger the night of the invasion.
Sudden Contact
Combat involved 48 SEALS and a small number of gunmen inside the hanger. 3 initial casualties turned into 14. 6 SEALS Killed, 8 Wounded. The incident prompted a full review of Navy Special Operations Medicine and Tactics.
Special Operations and Army medical community conduct a complete review of numerous previous conflicts and battlefield deaths. Thousands of cases of combat death were examined in detail.
Normal
100
Percent Survival
50
30
60
90
Minutes
Prolonged Shock
Hypothermia
Bleeding Abnormalities
Irrespective of the Conflict Studied Ground Combat Shows a Trimodal Distribution of Death
First peak of deaths occurs with minutes from tears of aorta, heart, brain, major extremity hemorrhage.
Im m e d ia te : CNS injury or he a rt a nd g re a t ve sse l injury
Pe rc e nt o f tra um a d e a ths
L a te : Infe c tion a nd
Multiorg a n fa ilure
Second peak occurs from 1-4 hours from pneumothorax, shock, or internal bleeding.
Third peak days or weeks later from sepsis, and multiple organ failure from prolonged shock.
Where can the greatest medical impact be made to improve survival from blast and ballistic trauma ?
Airway obstruction 6%
Before We Learn to Manage the Preventable Causes of Death---It is Necessary to Understand Some Basic Trauma Anatomy
Musculoskeletal System
Muscle tissue will always be involved in blast and ballistic injury.
These wounds may appear to be horrible when in fact, they are a minor surgical nature and not immediately life threatening.
Surgical Debridement
Wound Packing
The Severity of Soft Tissue Injury Is Based On Hemorrhage NOT the Appearance Of The Wound
Neck Anatomy
Penetrating shrapnel injury with laceration of the right common carotid artery
Respiratory System
Cardiovascular System
Aorta
Tissue Circulation
Total Blood Volume- 5 L Muscle Layers
Valve
Arterioles Veinules
Note: The major artery in the upper arm is located in the axilla.
Bystander Management of the Preventable Causes of Death From Blast and Ballistic Trauma
The S. C. A. B Survey
Fallujah, Iraq
Soldier wounded in Femoral artery. 2d soldier and a medic rush from cover to assist casualty. 2d soldier is shot.
The Tourniquet
Tourniquet for catastrophic extremity hemorrhage.
Increasing Pain
4
Hours
Damage to the arm or leg is rare if the tourniquet is left on less than a110 minutes. Pneumatic tourniquets are often left in place for 2 hours during elective surgical procedures.
Answer This
Tourniquets
Get tourniquets on BEFORE onset of shock.
Mortality is very high if casualties are already in shock before tourniquet application If bleeding not controlled with first tourniquet use a second one just proximal to first
Summary
Assess the safety of the scene-beware of secondary explosive devices. Stop life-threatening limb hemorrhage with tourniquet. For life threatening bleeding not anatomically amendable to a tourniquet, continue to use direct pressure if possible.
Hands-on Practice
Tourniquet Demonstration
Partner-up for Scenario
- Move to Casualty - Apply Direct Manual Pressure to Pressure Points - Apply Tourniquet High on Limp Over Clothing
Wound Packing
Placement of any
foreign material directly into an open wound, directly activates the clotting mechanism Fully expose the wound and pack tightly from wall to wall and apex to apex
Packing
Certain types of life-threatening hemorrhage cannot be controlled with tourniquets or bandages because of anatomical constraints (high groin, neck, deep armpit). Hemostatic agents may assist in these cases.
Hemostatic Agents
Hemostatic agents incorporate proteins or chemicals designed to initiate and accelerate the fibrin clotting process. Some agents act to chemically seal damaged arteries and veins involved in uncontrolled hemorrhage. Must be used with sustained direct pressure. Takes 3-4 minutes of continued direct pressure to work.
The recommended time for direct pressure has been changed from 2 minutes to 3 minutes.
Pressure Bandage
Haemostatic Agents
Hands-on Practice
Pressure Bandage Demonstration
Partner-up for Scenario
- Move to Casualty - Apply Direct Manual Pressure to Pressure Points - Apply Packing and Pressure Dressing
In a CCP, all the casualties are grouped close together in a secure location.
Then the airway and breathing are assessed.
Airway
2. Military uses an artificial airway for ALL Unconscious casualties - Nasopharyngeal airway 4. Place all unconscious casualties in recovery position when feasible.
Casualty Positioning
A casualty with bleeding into the mouth or nose may be better able to maintain an airway by sitting up and leaning forward.
90 degrees
Relatively contraindicated in children (may cause bleeding from enlarged adenoids). Anatomical deformity complicating nasal passage of the NPA tube.
All unconscious casualties are placed in the recovery position (injured side of chest down)
Surgical Tracheotomy
Long Term Airway, Physician Level
Surgical Cricoidotomy
- Field emergency airway - Airway not secure
- Vomit can be aspirated
Small tube inserted into the cricothyroid membrane to keep the airway open
Nasopharyngeal Demonstration
Respiration
1. Assess the breathing of your casualty. 2. Seal any open chest wounds 3. Alert EMS personnel if your casualty has chest trauma and is developing progressive respiratory distress.
Check Respiration
What do we want to know about the Respiration ? Is casualty actually breathing? Is there respiratory difficulty (increased work of breathing)?
Time consuming Casualty stays dead CPR has not been shown to be effective in casualties with Trauma
Nasal flaring Coughing Chest Tightness Excessive use of accessory muscles Cyanosis
Respiratory noise
wheezing rattling Stridor
The elastic tissue of lung causes it to collapse towards the midline. An empty space is left inside the chest cavity on the injured side
Empty Space
Open entrance wound > 5-cent coin allows air to move in and out of the pleural space.
If chest wall opening is 2/3 or more of the diameter of the trachea, air will preferentially go into the chest cavity.
Difficulty Breathing Rapid Respiratory Rate Possible Coughing Blood Cyanosis may be present
Rapid Heartbeat
All open or sucking chest wounds should be treated by applying an occlusive material to cover the defect.
The occlusive material used in a chest seal may be any nonporous material such as plastic wrap or foil.
The critical action is to seal the chest wound.
Apply a Valve or Occlusive Chest Seal To Any Penetrating Wound Between the Navel and Shoulder
(if possible).
Place unconscious casualty in recovery position (injured side down} Monitor for possible development of further difficulty such as a Tension Pneumothorax.
Mistakes Made
The midpoint of the mid-clavicular line is difficult to determine. Decompressions are being done too medially. Use entry point at or lateral to the nipple line
What if the casualty does not have a tension pneumothorax when a needle decompression is done?
If there is already a collapsed lung, blood, and air in the chest cavity.
The needle wont make it worse if there is no tension pneumothorax.
Tension pneumothorax is the second leading cause of preventable death in blast and ballistic trauma.
In a casualty with progressive respiratory distress and known or suspected torso trauma, consider a tension pneumothorax.
Alert EMS personnel about your casualtys condition. EMS are trained to decompress on the side of the injury with a 14-gauge, 3.25 inch needle/catheter unit inserted in the second intercostal space at the mid-clavicular line. Frequently reassess
Immediate Care of the Wounded , C.C. Cloonan , 2007, Brookside Associates, Ltd.
Respiration Summary
Penetrating chest wounds should be closed immediately with an occlusive material, either a vented chest seal or some type of plastic occlusive dressing.
Respiration Summary
EMS personnel need to perform needle decompression for any casualty with chest trauma with a progressive respiratory distress.
Chest exam
Exam for holes Exam for Tension Demo JVD Talk through needle drill Danger Box
2 ICS-MCL
If the 2 ICS-MCL cannot be used, keep to the outside of the nipple line
5-minute Break
The Preventable Causes of Death in Blast and Ballistic Trauma Have now Been Addressed
- Look for a pulse in the wrist. If both arms are injured, assess the femoral pulse in the leg.
Cells switch from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism, energy production decreases. Lactic Acid and other waste products build-up.
Cells / tissues in internal organs begin to die.
1500ml Loss Alert / Anxious Death Unlikely Radial Pulse Weak Pulse 100 Respiration 30
2000ml Loss Confused / Lethargic Possible Death Radial Pulse Weak Pulse 120 Respiration 35
2500ml Loss Unconscious Death Probable Femoral Pulse Weak Pulse 140 Respiration >35
Well conditioned athlete has greater fluid and cardiac reserves, so a greater blood loss needed to progress through stages. Casualty may suddenly crash.
100
50
As the time between an injured patient developing serious shock (loss of radial pulse) and the onset of resuscitation increases, the percentage of surviving patients decreases.
0 30 60 90
Minutes
The survival rate after 1 hour of severe, untreated shock is very low. Death of Wounds 4-10 days later
P Pain Responsive
U - Unresponsive
Decreasing consciousness is the best quick indication of shock in a non-head injured patient.
(60mmHg)
(80mmHg) (70mmHg) (90mmHg)
An altered level of consciousness combined with a lost radial pulse, indicates significant shock is present
Copyright 2009 ATS Inc., LLC
Diagnosis Of Shock
Clinical indicators of Significant Shock;
Decreased consciousness Wrist pulse weak or absent. Heart rate > 120 bpm. Continued bleeding from non-compressible wound. Color- pallor/pale.
If bleeding is not controlled (internal) fluids may hurt rather than help because raising the blood pressure to normal may increase the bleeding.
598 patients-penetrating torso trauma and hypotension. Aggressive fluid resuscitation - survival rate of 62%. No aggressive fluid replacement - survival rate of 70%.
IV dilution of clotting factors. Raising the blood pressure may increase bleeding. Permissive hypotension is allowed in all but severe head injury,
Hypothermia
Hypothermia occurs in Shock, even in hot environments. Hypothermia decreases blood clotting and is a major factor in trauma death.
Prevention of Hypothermia
Minimize Exposure
Keep clothing on Expose only to treat wounds Replace wet clothing with dry Replace body armor
Wrap Casualty
- Space Blanket, Dry blanket - Poncho liner, sleeping bag, - Body bag, or even a trash bag liner.
Hypothermia Prevention Kits are available.
Space Blanket
Chemical Warmers - Tape to femoral pressure points - Tape to axillary pressure points
Open Fracture Overlying skin is broken. Closed Fracture Overlying skin intact.
Crepitus
PAIN
Expose Wound
Immobilize by Splinting
Fracture Splinting
Splinting Objectives: Prevent further injury
Splinting Materials
Commercial Other body part Field expedient
SAM Splint
Improvised
Splinting Principals
Try to splint before moving casualty. Give Pain Meds if not contra-indicated.
Minimize manipulation of extremity before splinting to avoid damaging blood vessels or nerves. Do not wrap the splint too tight and cut off the circulation to tissues below the splint.
Use traction when moving limb Long splint underneath extremity to stabilize the tissue. Slightly-tight elastic bandage wrapped circumferentially.
Iris Prolapsed
Writing T on the casualtys forehead does not work well. Ink marker on tape applied to the casualtys chest. Package for hypothermia and transport Identify most serious casualties to EMS
Mass Casualties
There are 4 critical rules for managing a battlefield mass casualty situation.
Failure to adhere to any one of these principles will result in excess casualty morbidity and mortality.
Rule 2. Set up the CCP Correctly !! Catastrophic Hemorrhage Control is the Priority
Arrange the casualties in a line with all heads facing the same way, or in a star with all heads pointing inwards with a Corpsman or medic, in the center. Corpsman/Medic works at the casualtys head. Nonmedical personnel work from the foot-end and can be directed by the Corpsman/Medic. Keep enough space between casualties to sit down to start an IV.
Copyright 2009 ATS Inc., LLC
Rule 3. Someone Must Take Charge of the CCP (This Should Not Be the Medic or Corpsman).
The individual in charge of the CCP cannot also be involved in providing medical treatment.
The individual in charge of the CCP will :
- Manage the triage of medical supplies. - Keep track of the triage priorities of the casualties. - Make the initial TACEVAC request. - Control the security of the site.
Copyright 2009 ATS Inc., Le
Rule 4.
Corpsman or Medic Will Use Operators As Medical Assistants
Once all life-threatening hemorrhage is controlled, all casualties are assessed for an adequate Airway.
Corpsman / Medic will assist with complicated hemorrhage control and assist with complicated airway cases. At the same time, Corpsman / Medic will use Operators as Medical Assistants to perform the TCCC protocols for MARCH-E on all casualties.
Boston Marathon
Finish Line
Medical tent
Explosive Device
Explosive Device
Blast Analysis
2 Devices
6L Pressure Cookers filled with gunpowder from fireworks
Black bags (duffel or back packs) Shrapnel Metallic BBs and Nails, contained with adhesive
Shortly following blast medical tent became trauma center Staff began triage. Tent did have small number of tourniquets available By 1600L most patients moved to hospitals
Boston Globe
3 Dead, 264 Wounded 16 Amputees 3 of which were multiple amputations 10 children among wounded
Most injuries to lower extremities
General Notes
Physicians and EMS personnel were already on-site for the Boston Marathon. Treatment tent was able to be rapidly reconfigured for trauma. A few tourniquets were available in medical tent but not brought to incident site. Airway problems in casualties were minimal. Bystanders had to try and provide initial life saving measures
General Notes
Police were first on the scene but had no training in controlling hemorrhage and no lightweight tourniquet or pressure bandage.
No secure CCP established and the scene remained essentially unsafe throughout the response, due to the potential risk of secondary explosive devices.
General Notes
Civilian man-made mass casualty blast and ballistic events are becoming more frequent and such incidents can be expected to continue. Bystanders may be the initial first responders. The ability to control catastrophic hemorrhage and provide an airway should be a basic skill of every police officer on the street. It is not.
The doctrine is being adapted too slowly or not at all by many EMS departments and even fewer Police Departments.
Resources
Boston Globe http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/us/boston-marathon-thingswe-know/index.html http://us.cnn.com/2013/04/15/us/boston-bombingsinjuries/?iref=obinsite http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/blogs/white-coatnotes/2013/04/15/marathon-medical-tent-transformed-intotrauma-unit/gUAgQIMwTYqwzRkcIDs5PJ/blog.html http://canton.patch.com/articles/boston-marathon-explosionsmedical-tent-nurse-describes-monday-scene-to-canton-patch http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9175656 http://healthybostonblog.wordpress.com/2013/