Air Medical Journal
Volume 27, Issue 1 , Pages 8-12 , January 2008

Conflicting treatment goals in a critically injured trauma patient: Conclusion

  • Michael Sahjian, RN, BSN, CFRN, CCRN

      Affiliations

    • Michael Sahjian, RN, BSN, CFRN, CCRN, is a flight nurse/paramedic with Hartford Hospital LIFE STAR in Hartford, Conn.
    • ,
  • Jeffrey Heath, RRT, EMT

      Affiliations

    • Jeffrey Heath, RRT, EMT, has been a registered respiratory therapist for 14 years and a flight respiratory therapist with Hartford Hospital LIFE STAR for the past 7 years.

References 

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 A 45-year-old pedestrian was struck by a car traveling at a high rate of speed. The patient was transported by ground emergency medical services (EMS) to a local trauma center. A request for air transport was made to transfer the patient to a tertiary care facility. However, flight was not possible because of weather factors. Ultimately the following injuries were identified at the sending facility, some of which necessitated damage control surgery: subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral contusions, thoracic aortic injury, left diaphragmatic rupture with a hemopneumothorax, liver and spleen lacerations, and fractures of several lumbar vertebrae, the left iliac wing, and femur. The flight team arrived to transfer this complicated patient by ground ambulance.David W. Ross, DO FACEP, Carol Wichman, BSN, MSN and Mike MacKinnon BSN, CEN, CCRN, CFRN are section editors. They can be reached at DRDR0682@aol.com.

PII: S1067-991X(07)00273-8

doi: 10.1016/j.amj.2007.10.003

Air Medical Journal
Volume 27, Issue 1 , Pages 8-12 , January 2008

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