77: THE TRAUMA DIAMOND OF DEATH: 4 Treatment Priorities in Trauma Care With Guest Sarah Vance

You may already be familiar with the trauma triad… but in this episode, host Sarah Lorenzini is once again joined by her friend and critical care nurse and educator, Sarah Vance to break down a 4th component to trauma resuscitation. Last week, they discussed the treatment of a trauma patient with neuro and respiratory injuries, but today they’re getting into the “blood and guts” of trauma cases as Sarah Vance RN walks us through a multiple gunshot wound case study. Similar to last week’s patient, this case study highlights how the body’s systems all work together, and sometimes against each other, in trauma cases.

Sarah’s GSW patient’s injuries resulted in massive blood loss, leading to rounds of MTP (massive transfusion protocol), but treating blood loss is more complex than just replacing blood so we’re diving into the pathophysiology of hypothermia, coagulopathy, hypocalcemia, and acidosis — all components of the trauma diamond of death.

As a nursing educator, Sarah Vance RN is the best person to break down these challenging concepts and make them easy to understand. You’ll learn why they happen in trauma cases, how they impact each other, and what you can do to fix these issues and prevent death.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have the knowledge you need to manage the treatment of a trauma patient with major blood loss. Tune in now!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Components of the trauma diamond of death
• Sarah’s trauma patient and his treatment
• MTP, or Massive Transfusion Protocol
• What causes hypothermia in trauma patients
• How to support coagulopathy and why it’s important
• Hypocalcemia and the role of calcium in the body
• Managing calcium levels in trauma cases
• Acidosis and its place in the diamond of death
• Key lessons from this patient’s case

Watch this episode on The Rapid Response RN YouTube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/@therapidresponsern/videos

Connect with Sarah Vance!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iseeu_nurse/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iseeu_nurse

Website: https://iseeunurse.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the Sick

Click here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building: https://www.rapidresponseandrescue.com/community