Car Versus Bicycle: Conclusion
A 58-year-old man was riding his bicycle and was struck by a car. He was ejected and landed on his back on the pavement of the roadway. He complained of severe pain in his lower back and sacral area. Ground emergency medical services (EMS) arrived to find a pale, diaphoretic man who was alert but in distress. His medical history was negative, and he was taking no medications. The initial heart rate was 130 beats/minute, and the blood pressure was 70 mmHg by palpation. A helicopter air ambulance was requested from the rural scene location to transport the patient to a trauma center.
The physical examination by the flight crew demonstrated the patient had not changed from the original EMS assessment, despite the administration of 1 L normal saline intravenously. There were no apparent injuries to his head, neck, chest, or extremities.
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Authors' Note: For a variety of reasons, this article marks our final contribution to the Case Review Series in Air Medical Journal. We would like to thank the authors who have contributed cases for this series, as well as the readers we have received comments from, during the 4 years it has been published. We hope that this series and its format have been beneficial.
PII: S1067-991X(09)00246-6
doi:10.1016/j.amj.2009.08.004
© 2009 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
