TRAUMA – Face, Head & Spinal Injuries

HEAD INJURIES
If a casualty has suffered an impact to the head, it is important to assess for the possibility of concussion or a more serious head injury. Concussion is usually a temporary disturbance to brain function that is caused by a violent shaking of the brain.
Signs & Symptoms of concussion may include:
Headache, Nausea, memory loss, blurred vision, drowsiness, confusion, agitation, temporary loss of consciousness.
All casualties who show signs or symptoms of concussion should be seen by a doctor as their condition may worsen over time. If the person has been unconscious for any period of time or is confused, agitated or has memory loss they should be observed in a hospital.
Where there is any swelling or bleeding on the brain, the casualty may suffer cerebral compression. This can be fatal and any sign of cerebral compression must be treated as urgent and an ambulance called. It can occur many hours after the incident.
Signs & Symptoms of Cerebral compression may include:
Pupils of unequal size, Seizures, fluids or blood coming from nose, ears or eyes, numbness or weakness down one side of the body, noisy irregular breathing.
A conscious person with a head injury or concussion is best rested laying down with the head slightly elevated and treated for shock. An unconscious head-injured casualty must still be placed into the recovery position as the airway is still our priority.
It is recommended that all people showing signs of concussion, including mild, seek medical assistance.

SPINAL INJURIES
A spinal injury should always be suspected if a casualty has suffered a physically traumatic event such as being struck by a car, thrown from a motorbike/car, fallen from a height etc.
If the conscious casualty has pain in the neck or back, any strange tingling sensations in any part of their body or is unable to move any part of their body, then they should remain still and comforted whilst awaiting an ambulance. If the casualty is unconscious on their back, then protecting the airway will take priority and the casualty will need to be rolled very carefully into the recovery position, avoiding any forward or twisting motion of the neck and spine. If you are trained or have help, adopting a spinal roll to move the casualty into the recovery position would be preferable.

EYE AND EAR INJURIES
Eye injuries can cause great distress. The safest way to clear foreign particles or chemicals in the eye is to irrigate with water or saline. It is important to turn the head to one side and have the injured eye down to avoid any cross contamination of the good eye. If an object is deeply embedded in the eye, do not try to irrigate the eye. If the casualty can close the eye, then very gently apply a pad to both eyes and seek immediate medical aid. If the object
protrudes from the eye, then apply a donut bandage to the injured eye and also cover the other eye to avoid any movement. Seek immediate medical aid.
Ear injuries can cause severe pain and loss of balance. If bleeding is present, do not plug
the ear, but allow blood to drain into a lightly applied dressing and seek medical aid. Ear
injuries often occur as a result of impact to the ear or in some cases penetrative injury,
infection or sudden changes in air pressure.