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Trauma First Aid: All You Need to Know About Trauma Injuries
Published: September 27, 2021 | Last Updated: May 4, 2023
Have you ever wondered what happens when someone suffers a traumatic injury? By extension, are you aware of the best way to react and treat what could be a life-threatening injury, by administering first aid? If the answer is no, the information in this guide should prove helpful.
Whether you’re a community first responder with a lifetime of medical experience or someone with basic first aid skills, it’s vital to understand physical trauma and what injuries fall into this category. Knowing when someone has suffered such an injury, and better yet, spotting the warning signs which could lead to these injuries ahead of time, can be the difference between life and death. This trauma first aid guide gives you everything you need to know.
What is a Trauma Injury?
A trauma injury refers to sudden and severe physical injuries which require immediate medical attention. Trauma injuries are usually severe enough to impair the individual to such a degree that they are deemed at an increased risk. This is why many traumatic injuries are often initially dealt with in A&E. Major trauma can be more severe, leading to disability or even death
Examples of Trauma Injuries
There is no definitive criteria for trauma injuries exactly, but they can include anything resembling the below:
- Deep lacerations
- Excessive bleeding
- Broken bones
- Head injuries
- Spinal injuries
- Falls
- Violent attacks or assaults
- Sports injuries
- Stab wounds or bullet wounds
- Road traffic accidents
- Damage to internal organs
Trauma can be caused by various external forces that affect the body, but the above list gives you an idea of the common causes of trauma. Statistically, trauma is the most common cause of death in UK patients under the age of 40.
How to Treat Trauma Injuries
In severe trauma cases, a patient will typically be admitted into a trauma centre where a team of medical professionals will work quickly to treat the injuries and prevent them from worsening.
If it’s not a life-threatening trauma injury, the likelihood is that the patient will be seen in A&E and subsequently referred to a specialist doctor if required.
At a base level, trauma injuries will require immediate medical attention to stem blood flow in the individual. There is a strong chance that the patient may go into ‘shock’, and although bleeding may not be excessive, it still needs to be treated as soon as possible.
For people in everyday situations, this is where first aid training can prove useful. By understanding how to administer first aid and how to use a trauma kit, you may be able to deliver life-saving assistance before the emergency services arrive. This could go an incredibly long way in preserving life, which is the critical aim of first aid.
Defibrillators
Defibrillators are vital to preserving life. It’s essential to have a defibrillator close by, but knowing how to use it properly is crucial, otherwise it’s pointless. This product is available to purchase via our shop.
Trauma First Aid Kits, Packs and Equipment
Wherever you find yourself, trauma packs and kits can help you provide emergency care immediately. Specifically, trauma first aid equipment provides:
- Supplies for treating multiple people in mass casualty incidents
- Supplies needed for treating life-threatening or catastrophic bleeding
- Easy portability
- Accessibility at designated locations
Medical emergencies require different responses, depending on the incident and environment; trauma packs may vary depending on the expected situation. In some cases, a professional pack may be required, which could be found in a busy London Underground station instead of a small office building.
What Should Go in a Trauma First Aid Kit?
The likely contents of a trauma first aid pack will depend on the area and the level of first aid training given to the personnel on-site.
As a guide, a basic trauma first aid pack should include:
- Emergency bandages
- Pre-filled applicators
- Dressings and clotting bandages
- Tourniquets
- Shears
- CPR face masks
- Nitrile gloves
- Casualty cards
It’s expected that each trauma pack will contain various smaller tools to treat trauma patients.
In conclusion, it’s clear why these first aid kits are helpful to have on standby following a mass incident. For those working in close protection, personal security or even in sectors that rely on heavy machinery or lone working, you cannot afford to be without a professional, well-stocked emergency first aid kit.
Looking deeper, however, you have to ask yourself, “how useful will the first aid kit be without me having undertaken a first aid training course first?”
Specialist Trauma First Aid Training
Learning how to respond to major traumatic incidents is not easy, but this type of first aid training will give you invaluable and transferable skills that will stay with you throughout your life.
Advanced Tactical Resources are specialist first aid course trainers. Our course delegates range from corporate office staff taking Emergency First Aid at Work training to law enforcement and first responders taking recognised FPOS-I or FREC first aid courses. We even provide situational awareness, self-defence and paediatric first aid training.
We have a dedicated trauma first aid course, which we can tailor according to our clients’ needs.
If you’re ready to learn more about scenario-based emergency first aid and trauma training, please book directly with us today.
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