Situation
A patient is brought into the emergency department after being found at the bottom of a staircase, face down. He is not responsive to verbal or tactile stimuli, however there is a pulse
Tests and Assessments That Examiners Would Perform to Diagnose the Patient
Suppose a patient is alerted to the emergency room for falling down the stairs, which has exposed the victim not respond to tactile or verbal stimuli even though there is a pulse. In that case, medics must perform a patient’s post-fall assessment to detect potential injuries. The examiner ought to use a decision tree or a checklist to guide the patient’s assessment. Other tests that doctors may need to perform to decide the patient’s diagnosis include blood pressure, pulse rate, and breathing (Signer, 2019). The specialist also checks broken bones, bruises, and cut injuries. Assessing injuries on the patient is crucial since it enables the patient to receive proper treatment.
Potential Issues Besides Distressing Brain Injury
Besides traumatic injury, the examiner would contemplate other potential issues for the patient include concussions (head injuries), hip fractures, neck injuries, bruises, and cuts. Additionally, one could consider checking for spinal cord injury through diagnostic tests such as X-rays and CT scans (Signer, 2019). These tests are important since they detect the exact place the injury occurred and offer appropriate treatment to prevent the spinal cord injury from affecting other parts of the patient’s body.
Possible Actions for the Patient
The treatments specialists may offer the patient include casting, bracing, or splinting the affected part for approximately six weeks. It often takes around six weeks for injured parts to function normally. For severe injuries, surgery is required, which may involve connecting a broken bone’s fractured ends through surgical techniques, metal rods, or grafting (Signer, 2019). For an injured spinal cord, nurses consider various braces or soft neck collars. They also perform surgery to remove bone fragments, fractured vertebrae, or herniated disks that appear compressing the spine. Additionally, surgery also stabilizes the patient’s spine and prevents future deformities or pain.
Medical History Doctors May Acquire from Family Members
The medical history that possibly will be pertinent to obtain from family members of the victim includes the patient’s health, physical tests and exams, immunizations, surgeries, existing illnesses, and allergies. Registrars might also ask for information concerning the patient’s health habits (exercise and diet) and medicines (Signer, 2019). Performing medical history on a patient is important since it facilitates an easy understanding of their health.
Reference
Signer, M. (2019). Falls first aid health & safety alert. [PDF document].