Blunt trauma, also known as blunt force trauma or non-penetrating trauma, is physical trauma or impactful force to a body part, often occurring with road traffic collisions, direct blows, assaults, injuries during sports, and particularly in the elderly who fall.
What are the effects of blunt head trauma?
The serious signs that might arise from the injury include:
- Pupillary changes
- Convulsions
- Irritability The indications of blunt head trauma can either arise right away or after injury or develop steadily within a few hours or days.
- Inability to move one or more limbs
- Unusual behavior
- Personality changes
- Confusion
- Low breathing rate
- Drowsiness
- Loss of consciousness
What is the treatment for blunt trauma injury?
Treatment for severe cases of blunt eye trauma will also include:
- Steroid eye drops to reduce inflammation
- Glaucoma eye drops to reduce intraocular pressure
- Antiemetics or anti-nausea medication
- Antibiotic ointment
- Wearing protective eyewear until the eye is healed
- Surgery
- Follow up eye examinations
- Bed rest
- Avoiding aspirin and ibuprofen which can increase the risk of re-bleeding
What you should know about blunt trauma to the eye?
- Avoid any unnecessary manipulation of the globe (including tonometry) to prevent any extrusion of intraocular contents.
- Obtain appropriate imaging to rule out concomitant bony injury or intracranial trauma.
- Provide analgesia and antiemetics to prevent Valsalva maneuvers that may worsen globe rupture or retrobulbar hematoma.
Does blunt force trauma break the skin?
Blunt force trauma to the head is serious and can be deadly. One of the most common signs of outward injury when blunt force trauma has occurred is bruising. The impact of the blunt object causes vessels under the surface of the skin to break, but the skin remains intact.
What is blunt force trauma examples?
Examples of Blunt Trauma Car accidents, when rapid deceleration pushes the body into the dashboard, steering wheel, or seatbelt. Collision between a pedestrian or bicyclist and a motor vehicle. Contact collisions in sports. Physical assaults, such as a punch to the body. Falls, especially from a great height.
What happens to the body in blunt force trauma?
Blunt impact injuries result from direct contact of a blunt object with a body. A contusion results from the blunt impact of significant force to rupture capillaries underneath the skin surface while leaving the skin surface intact, while an abrasion results from scraping off of the superficial epidermis.
What does blunt force trauma feel like?
Symptoms of a blunt force head trauma are: Loss of consciousness (not required for a head trauma) Headaches. Blurred vision.
What are the three types of blunt force trauma?
The manifestations of blunt trauma differ depending on the force and the nature of the impact. The three recognized lesions are contusion, abrasion, and laceration.
Which organ is most likely to be injured blunt trauma?
The liver is the most commonly injured organ in blunt abdominal trauma and the second most commonly injured organ in penetrating abdominal trauma [3-6]. The liver is a highly vascular organ located in the right upper quadrant (figure 1) of the abdomen and is susceptible to injury from traumatic mechanisms.
What are the five most reliable signs & symptoms of blunt abdominal trauma?
Early indications of abdominal trauma include nausea, vomiting, blood in the urine, and fever. The injury may present with abdominal pain, tenderness, distension, or rigidity to the touch, and bowel sounds may be diminished or absent.
How do you get blunt force trauma?
Blunt trauma, also known as non-penetrating trauma or blunt force trauma, refers to injury of the body by forceful impact, falls, or physical attack with a dull object. Penetrating trauma, by contrast, involves an object or surface piercing the skin, causing an open wound.
What do you do after blunt force trauma to head?
Apply firm pressure to the wound with sterile gauze or a clean cloth. But don't apply direct pressure to the wound if you suspect a skull fracture. Watch for changes in breathing and alertness. If the person shows no signs of circulation — no breathing, coughing or movement — begin CPR.
What are four signs and symptoms of an abdominal injury?
Symptoms and signs – Not all may be presentHistory of injury to the abdominal area.bleeding wound or other obvious injury, possibly with visible intestines.severe pain and possible muscle spasm across the abdominal wall.nausea or vomiting.bruising of the skin.More items...
What happens to your body when you get hit by a car?
Some of the most common injuries include broken bones, burns, head and neck trauma, brain injuries, and back and spinal cord trauma. The severity of injuries sustained on bodies in a car crash will depend on varying factors, such as speed, seatbelt use, and type of collision.
What is the difference between blunt and penetrating trauma?
Trauma is usually categorised as blunt or penetrating. Blunt injuries are caused by impact or other force applied from or with a blunt object. Penetrating injuries are caused when the body is pierced by an object, and may be caused by injuries such as stabbings and gunshot wounds.
How do you distinguish between blunt force and sharp force injuries?
Blunt trauma is typically caused by contact with a solid, firm surface (floor or ground) or with an object (such as a fist, bat, or bottle). Sharp force trauma describes an injury produced by an instrument with a thin edge or point (ie, sharp cutting implements).
How does blunt force trauma to torso cause death?
Contusions and lacerations can occur internally and put body organs at risk for damage and failure. Similarly, a blunt force trauma to the torso can lead to fractured ribs that cause internal bleeding or organ damage.
What happens to your body when you get hit by a car?
Some of the most common injuries include broken bones, burns, head and neck trauma, brain injuries, and back and spinal cord trauma. The severity of injuries sustained on bodies in a car crash will depend on varying factors, such as speed, seatbelt use, and type of collision.
What are four signs and symptoms of an abdominal injury?
Symptoms and signs – Not all may be presentHistory of injury to the abdominal area.bleeding wound or other obvious injury, possibly with visible intestines.severe pain and possible muscle spasm across the abdominal wall.nausea or vomiting.bruising of the skin.More items...
What causes blunt force trauma to the torso?
The chief cause of blunt abdominal trauma in the United States is motor vehicle accidents.
What is blunt trauma?
Blunt trauma, also known as non-penetrating trauma or blunt force trauma, refers to injury of the body by forceful impact, falls, or physical attac...
What is blunt trauma death?
Blunt trauma death refers to physical trauma to the body by way of fall, impact, or attack, that results in death. Head trauma and severe loss of b...
Which organs are most likely to be injured by blunt trauma?
The majority of blunt trauma cases are from motor vehicle crashes and pedestrian injuries often resulting in abdominal injuries. These injuries are...
How is blunt trauma diagnosed?
When assessing possible abdominal trauma, physicians look for abdominal pain, tenderness, nausea, and vomiting. In cases of motor vehicle crashes,...
Can blunt force trauma cause blood clots?
Blunt force trauma can often lead to bruising and blood clots. Bruising occurs when the blood vessels on the surface of the soft tissue of skin are...
Can blunt force trauma cause aneurysms?
If there is blunt force trauma to the head and skull, there may be a risk for aneurysms, or enlarged and weakened arteries in the brain. For exampl...
Can blunt force trauma cause miscarriages?
Blunt injury during pregnancy can cause miscarriages, especially if it occurs after the first trimester of the pregnancy. The most common mechanism...
What are the most important facts to know about blunt trauma?
Blunt trauma refers to injury of the body by forceful impact with a dull object. With blunt force trauma, there can be internal organ injuries that...
What does blunt force trauma do to the brain?
Blunt force trauma to the brain can lead to many injuries, signs, and symptoms, including altered mental status, confusion, concussion, headache, n...
What is blunt trauma death?
Blunt trauma death is the death of a person directly resulting from injuries sustained during blunt trauma. The person was unable to be stabilized...
What happens during blunt force trauma?
During blunt force trauma, an injury to the body is caused by falling, forceful impact, injury, or physical attack with a dull, or blunt, object.
What can cause blunt force trauma?
Blunt force trauma can be caused by things such as falling, motor vehicle accidents, physical assault, and playing sports. Football is a common sp...
How is blunt force trauma different from penetrating trauma?
Blunt force trauma is different from penetrating trauma because penetrating trauma involves an object entering the body, such as a bullet or knife wound, while blunt force trauma does not. 3:21. You must c C reate an account to continue watching. Register to view this lesson.
What are the symptoms of blunt force trauma?
Other symptoms of blunt force trauma include: Swelling. Redness. Bruising. Tenderness, and. Abrasions. The symptoms of blunt force trauma will vary greatly depending on how hard the object hits the body and where the object hits the body.
How do you know if you hit an object with a small amount of force?
Objects that hit the body with a small amount of force might only produce slight pain and some minor bruising or redness.
How old is Dan from Blunt Force Trauma?
Blunt Force Trauma. Dan is a 21-year-old college baseball player. One day at practice, while Dan was watching his teammates in the field, he did not notice one of his other teammates was practicing his swing about five feet behind where he was standing. The coach yelled at Dan and told him to grab his glove to go play second base.
What happened to Dan in the dugout?
However, as Dan headed back to the dugout, his teammate, who was practicing his swing, hit Dan across his head with the bat. Dan was knocked out cold from the blunt force trauma of the bat. Blunt force trauma (also referred to simply as blunt trauma) is an injury that is caused by an object striking or hitting the body.
What happens if an object hits your shoulder?
However, if an object hits the shoulder with a large amount of force, this could produce a lot of pain and bruising and possibly cause fractures to the bones in the shoulder. ...
Can blunt force trauma cause concussions?
Blunt force trauma to the head can cause very serious symptoms such as dizziness, concussions, and even death. Additionally, major blunt force trauma to the abdominal area can possibly cause contusions and ruptures to the abdominal organs. There are countless examples of blunt force trauma.
What is the management of blunt force trauma?
The management of blunt force trauma patients is with an interprofessional team that includes a trauma surgeon, emergency department physician, nurse practitioner, anesthesiologist, internist, and specialty-trained emergency and trauma nurses. After the secondary survey is done by the team, other specialists can be consulted as appropriate. All over the U.S., hospitals now have protocols to manage blunt force trauma. The outcomes of these patients depend on their age, type of injury, other comorbidities, time to treatment and number of organs involved. While mortality rates have dropped over the past 3 decades, a significant number of trauma patients still die either at the scene or upon arrival to the trauma center.
What are blunt impact injuries?
Blunt impact injuries are commonly seen in living and deceased patients. The appearance of wounds depends on multiple factors, including the force, speed, length of time of impact, the surface area of contact, and elasticity of tissues impacted. A large, crushing force applied to a sizable area over several minutes will result in vast tissue damage; for example, failure of the integrity of a retaining wall at a construction site will likely cause significant blunt impact injury if the wall collapses on and traps the legs of an individual. Alternatively, a smaller force applied to a smaller area will result in less tissue damage; for example, the impact of a thrown baseball to the shoulder of an individual will likely cause minor blunt trauma.
What is the most common cause of death due to blunt trauma?
Head trauma and exsanguination are the most common early causes of death due to blunt traumatic injury.
What is the criteria for trauma triage?
Patients with a Glasgow coma scale score greater than 13, respiratory rates less than 10/min. or greater than 29/min, or patients who need ventilatory support warrant triage to a trauma center. [9][10][11]Patients with two or more long bone fractures, crushed or pulseless extremities, amputations proximal to the ankle or wrist, pelvic fractures, paralysis, or depressed skull fractures warrant trauma center triage based on injuries. The mechanism is also important as victims of high-risk auto crashes, falls from heights, motorcycle crashes, and pedestrian accidents with significant impact should be managed in a trauma center. Elderly patients, pregnant patients, anticoagulated patients, and young children should be managed in trauma centers capable of providing specialized care.
Why is it important to interpret blunt impact injuries at autopsy?
Proper interpretation of blunt impact injuries at autopsy is essential for accurate medicolegal testimony. Patterned blunt impact injuries may aid in determining the specific type of weapon or implement used to create the wound.
What is trauma life support?
The Advanced Trauma Life Support course was developed by the American College of Surgeons to promote a standardized, methodical approach to the evaluation of trauma patients. [7][8]The course teaches the initial assessment of trauma patients with a focus on preparation, triage, the primary survey, resuscitation, adjuncts to primary survey and resuscitation, consideration of the need for patient transfer, secondary survey, adjuncts to post-resuscitation monitoring, and reevaluation and definitive care.
How long after impact can you see contusions?
Blunt impact injuries usually manifest immediately after impact; however, deep contusions may not be visible on the skin surface for several days after the injury occurs. Examination of adjacent or underlying subcutaneous soft tissues may aid in distinguishing between contusion, in which there will be hemorrhage due to rupture of blood vessels, and lividity, a postmortem change in which blood is contained within blood vessels. Characteristics of fractures and associated soft tissue and/or skeletal muscle injuries may aid in establishing directionality of the impact causing the wound; for example, bumper impact to a pedestrian's legs often results in comminuted fractures of the tibia and/or fibula with a triangular bone fragment pointing in the direction the vehicle was moving.
What is blunt force trauma?
Blunt force trauma is an injury to the body caused by falling, forceful impact, injury, or physical attack with a dull, or blunt, object; the object can strike the body once or repeatedly. It's also referred to as blunt trauma or non-penetrating trauma. It differs from penetrating trauma in that an object or surface doesn't actually pierce the body, causing an open wound. It accounts for a large proportion of morbidity and mortality. Each cause of blunt force trauma has its own chances of complications and consequences. These will be discussed in detail below.
How many categories of injuries are there in blunt force trauma?
The injuries sustained from blunt force trauma are generally divided into 4 categories:
What are the symptoms of a brain injury?
Blunt force trauma to the brain can lead to many injuries, signs, and symptoms, including altered mental status, confusion, concussion, headache, nausea, and vomiting.
How to re-inflate a collapsed lung?
Re-inflate a collapsed lung by placing a chest tube.
Can a bullet cause blunt force trauma?
Clean the wound thoroughly. A bullet would not cause blunt force trauma because it would penetrate the body; a baseball bat, a fist, and a helmet could all cause blunt force trauma.
What is blunt force trauma?
Blunt trauma, also known as blunt force trauma or non-penetrating trauma, is physical trauma or impactful force to a body part, often occurring with road traffic collisions, direct blows, assaults, injuries during sports, and particularly in the elderly who fall.
What happens when you have a blunt trauma?
It is contrasted with penetrating trauma which occurs when an object pierces the skin and enters a tissue of the body, creating an open wound and bruise. Blunt trauma can result in contusions, abrasions, lacerations, internal hemorrhages, and bone fractures.
Why is blunt trauma important in sports?
The priority in assessing blunt trauma in sports injuries is separating contusions and musculo-tendinous injuries from injuries to solid organs and the gut and recognizing potential for developing blood loss, and reacting accordingly. Blunt injuries to the kidney from helmets, shoulder pads, and knees are described in American football, association football, martial arts, and all-terrain vehicle accidents.
What is the primary concern with blunt trauma to the head?
The primary clinical concern with blunt trauma to the head is damage to the brain, although other structures, including the skull, face, orbits, and neck are also at risk. Following assessment of the patient's airway, circulation, and breathing, a cervical collar may be placed if there is suspicion of trauma to the neck.
What causes a blunt pelvic injury?
The most common causes of blunt pelvic trauma are motor vehicle accidents and multiple-story falls , and thus pelvic injuries are commonly associated with additional traumatic injuries in other locations.
What is blunt chest injury?
Blunt injuries to the kidney from helmets, shoulder pads, and knees are described in American football, association football, martial arts, and all-terrain vehicle accidents. A depiction of flail chest, a very serious blunt chest injury.
Which organs are most frequently involved in blunt abdominal trauma?
When blunt abdominal trauma is complicated by 'internal injury,' the liver and spleen (see blunt splenic trauma) are most frequently involved, followed by the small intestine.
What are the four categories of blunt impact injuries?
Blunt impact injuries generally can be classified into four categories: contusion, abrasion, laceration, and fracture.
Why do people get traumatic injuries?
The majority of serious traumatic injuries are due to blunt trauma from motor vehicle crashes and pedestrian injuries. Falls are also an important cause, particularly in the elderly. Direct blows, assaults, and sporting injuries are also common.
Premise
Pinto plays a woman looking for her brother's killer. The film is based on a banned shooting game, revolving around duelists using kevlar vests. The rules are that one may not aim for lethal shots, and that should one fall out of a predesignated ring which each contestant is stood in, they lose. You may also tap out, similar to other combat sports.
Production
Principal photography was done entirely in Bogotá, Colombia in 2014. In North America, Alchemy is the film's distributor. It competed in the Woodstock Film Festival and the Montreal World Film Festival.
Reception
John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the film, stating that it "takes itself much more seriously than viewers will."
External links
This article about a 2010s action film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
What is blunt force trauma?
Blunt force trauma is kind of an umbrella term. It is non-specific but sufficient enough to put on a death certificate. However, it can take many forms. Blunt force trauma is caused by a blunt object striking some part of the body. The blunt object may be a bat, wrench, hammer, floor, dashboard, etc. The typical signs of blunt force trauma include ...
What is the class characteristic of blunt force trauma?
However, it is possible to identify certain characteristics of the resulting wound which allow a group of potential weapons to be identified. This is called a "class characteristic".
What happens when you hit your head with a fist?
In these cases the bones of the skull or neck are fractured in one or more places by the velocity of the blow. Blunt force trauma can also occur if the victim has been severely beaten with an object or with fists. In these cases the injuries are generally to internal organs like the kidneys, liver, spleen, etc. Blunt Force Trauma to the Brain.
Why is blood spatter important?
As in most crime scenes blood spatter pattern analysis can provide vital evidence in determining what actually happened during the commission of the crime. Blunt trauma to most of the body may not produce significant blood spatter since most of the blunt force damage will be to internal organs.
What happens to the inner table of the skull when you blow it?
In this case the inner table is left untouched by the blow. A blow can also cause a situation where there is both inward and outward bending of the skull structures. In this case, the inner table as well as the outer table and diploe are all shattered. Radiating fractures spread outward from the impact site.
Where does a spatter occur?
This spatter can occur on ceilings, walls and floor depending on the force and direction of the inflicted blows. In the process the victim’s blood is also transferred to the blunt object and can usually be recovery from the weapon once it is identified.
Can a hard blow to the head cause a brain injury?
The brain can be damaged by trauma in two ways. When the head is struck by a hard object the cerebral cortex (gray matter) can become bruised. If the force of the blow is sufficient to cause a whiplash like circumstance then the injury can occur to the nerve cells (axonal injury) deep in the white matter of the brain.
Overview
Blunt trauma, also known as blunt force trauma or non-penetrating trauma, is physical trauma or impactful force to a body part, often occurring with road traffic collisions, direct blows, assaults, injuries during sports, and particularly in the elderly who fall. It is contrasted with penetrating trauma which occurs when an object pierces the skin and enters a tissue of the body, creating an open wound and bruise.
Classification
Blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) represents 75% of all blunt trauma and is the most common example of this injury. 75% of BAT occur in motor vehicle accidents, in which rapid deceleration may propel the driver into the steering wheel, dashboard, or seatbelt, causing contusions in less serious cases, or rupture of internal organs from briefly increased intraluminal pressure in the mo…
Diagnosis
In most settings, the initial evaluation and stabilization of traumatic injury follows the same general principles of identifying and treating immediately life-threatening injuries. In the US, the American College of Surgeons publishes the Advanced Trauma Life Support guidelines, which provide a step-by-step approach to the initial assessment, stabilization, diagnostic reasoning, and treatment of traumatic injuries that codifies this general principle. The assessment typically begi…
Treatment
When blunt trauma is significant enough to require evaluation by a healthcare provider, treatment is typically aimed at treating life-threatening injuries, which requires ensuring the patient is able to breathe and preventing ongoing blood loss. If there is evidence that the patient has lost blood, one or more intravenous lines may be placed and crystalloid solutions and/or blood will be administered at rates sufficient to maintain the circulation. Some patients may require a surgical operation cal…
Epidemiology
Worldwide, a significant cause of disability and death in people under the age of 35 year is trauma, of which most are due to blunt trauma.
See also
• Blunt kidney trauma
• Blunt cardiac injury
• Blunt trauma personal protective equipment