You’re kicking back in an empty CCT when you hear a ruckus in the hallway. In comes in a young man with a penetrating injury to the neck. He’s stridorous and diaphoretic on arrival.
What do you do?
After step 1, what's the next step in the work-up of this imaginary patient?
What if it's a zone 2 injury?
What are the 'hard signs' of neck trauma?
What are the 'soft signs' of neck trauma?
What physical exam finding indicates a penetrating neck injury that requires further work-up?
By Dr. Andrew Grock and Dr. Sally Bogoch
References
Lecture by Dr. Diane Birnbaumer
Tintinalli’s, 7th ed
Inaba K1, Branco BC, Menaker J, Scalea TM, Crane S, DuBose JJ, Tung L, Reddy S, Demetriades D. Evaluation of multidetector computed tomography for penetrating neck injury: a prospective multicenter study. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2012 Mar;72(3):576-83; discussion 583-4; quiz 803-4. doi: 10.1097/TA.0b013e31824badf7.
andygrock
- Resident Editor In Chief of blog.clinicalmonster.com.
- Co-Founder and Co-Director of the ALiEM AIR Executive Board - Check it out here: http://www.aliem.com/aliem-approved-instructional-resources-air-series/
- Resident at Kings County Hospital
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