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Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) should rapidly recognize and treat chest trauma, which can be fatal if patients are not stabilized before transport. Chest trauma can be categorized into two areas: Injuries that cause significant blood loss and Injuries that compromise ventilation.
Primary assessment treatments include: Manual stabilization of the cervical spine Establishing and maintaining a patent airway Determining the patient's level of consciousness using the AVPU scale
Chest injuries can be caused by: Penetrating trauma, such as gunshots, lacerations, and punctures Blunt trauma, such as motor vehicle accidents, falls, crush injury, blasts, and burns
Signs of chest injury include: Pain in the chest that gets worse when laughing, coughing or sneezing Pain when breathing in Difficulty breathing Tenderness to the chest or back over the ribs Bruising Swelling A 'crunchy' or 'crackling' feeling under the skin or in the ribs Coughing up blood
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