IT’S TRAUMA TUESDAY

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For nurses and other clinicians practicing anywhere

along the trauma care spectrum

Take a quick test of your trauma care knowledge

Article of the Week

Making Sense of End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide

If you are not yet comfortable with non-invasive end-tidal CO₂ monitoring, it's time to familiarize yourself with this valuable tool. EtCO₂ helps you evaluate a patient's status at several points on the tissue oxygenation cascade, including metabolism (CO₂ production), perfusion (CO₂ transport to the lungs), and ventilation (CO₂ exhalation). This article from American Nurse will walk you through how to use capnometry and interpret the results.

Hellings SD, Fuller J, Maillie S. End-tidal CO2 monitoring. Amer Nurse 2024 Vol. 2024 Issue September Pages 6-12.

Trauma Happenings

Be Rapid Response Ready

Unlike those who work in an ED or OR, inpatient trauma nurses don't have the luxury of having an entire team in a patient's room. Thus, one of the most important skills an inpatient nurse can have is the ability to quickly identify when a patient's status is deteriorating. Unless trauma patients have an  MI, pulmonary embolism, stroke, or vital equipment failure, they rarely "just suddenly go bad." The signs of clinical deterioration are almost always there if we recognize them. Check out this Nurse.com link for a short summary of what to look for and how to respond.  

What's the difference between the US and UK quizzes and crossword puzzles? PART 2

In addition to spelling variations addressed last week, there are plenty of other differences between American and British English. Medical terminology varies in a lot of amusing ways. For example, British trauma patients don't go to the Operating Room; they go to Theatre, and they ride there on a Trolley, rather than a Gurney, which all sounds like a lot more fun. A British pedestrian may be involved in a Road Traffic Collision (versus a Motor Vehicle Collision) while in a Zebra Crossing (Crosswalk) after being struck by the Bonnet (Hood) and Tyre (Tire) of a car driven by a Drink-Driver (rather than a Drunk-Driver). Once he Attends To (Arrives At) Accident & Emergency (the ED), an Anaesthetist (Anesthesiologist) may insert a Chest Drain (Chest Tube). Whilst in hospital, our patient is given Hartmann's Solution (Ringer's Lactate), a Noradrenaline (Norepinephrine) drip, Paracetamol (Acetaminophen), and Salbutamol (Albuterol) treatments. Once stabilized, he can get out of bed in a Lie-Flat (Cardiac) chair and eat Jelly (Jell-O), unless of course he's showing signs of Coning (Brainstem Herniation).

You can reveal a letter or the entire word if you get stuck

What Kind of End-of-Life Directive Is It?

Both healthcare workers and laypeople make a common verbal error when referring to end-of-life directives ("living wills"). They are called ADVANCE directives, not ADVANCED directives. This is because they are written in ADVANCE of their need. There is nothing ADVANCED about them. Moreover, calling them an ADVANCED directive would also infer there's a BASIC directive, which there isn't.

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