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Trauma criteria
New Updated 10/2024

Base Hospital Contact for all patients who meet trauma triage criteria

 

* Age limits are not absolute.  Some rescuer judgment is allowed if patient meets all other criteria and rescuer is comfortable with patient responses and patient assessment.

 

Trauma Victim: - Blunt or penetrating injury with the presence of ANY of the following:

 

Abnormal Vital Signs:

  • Failure to follow commands due to decreased state of alertness OR

  • Resp: < 12 or > 30 (adults/adolescents/children), OR

  • Systolic BP: < 90 (adults/adolescents); < 80 (children 14 y/o and under)

 

Injuries:

  • Penetrating or open injury of the head,

  • Depressed skull fracture

 

Blunt or penetrating head injury with:

  • Loss of consciousness, OR

  • Focal neurologic deficit, OR

  • Asymmetric pupils, OR 

  • Vomiting

  • Suspected Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) see SO-T-05

 

- Penetrating (appears for penetrate all skin layers) injury to neck, chest, abdomen, back or groin

 

- Penetrating (appears for penetrate all skin layers) injury to extremity above elbow or knee

 

- Extremity injury w/ poor circulation or w/o pulse

 

- Paralysis or paresthesia of arm or leg due to injury

 

- Blunt chest injury with abnormal respiration as defined above

 

- Seat belt bruising or abrasion of neck, chest or abdomen

 

- Unstable pelvic fractures

 

- Blunt abdominal injury, w/ palpable tenderness

 

- Fracture of 2 or more long-bones (femur/humerus)

 

- Pelvic rim pain or deformity on palp (+ barrel hoop)

 

- Amputation (partial or complete) above  the wrist or ankle

 

- Crushed / de-gloved, or mangled extremity (excluding only fingers/toes)

 

- Reported or obviously pregnant women with blunt or penetrating abdominal injury

 

Blunt head injury with bruising in area of injury and known to be:

  • Taking anticoagulants or platelet inhibitors ("blood thinners"), excluding ASA OR

  • Known to have hemophilia OR

  • Known to be a dialysis patient

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**Shock Index**

If the HR is higher than the SBP then it indicates that the patient is in shock

 

Mechanism of Injury:

Falls:

  • Adults / Adolescents: > 15 ft. (one story is equal to 10 ft.)

  • Children: > 10 ft. or 2-3 times height of child

  • Adults / Adolescents / Children: fall from galloping horse

 

High-Risk Auto Crash: (heights, speeds, and distances are all estimates)

  • Passenger space intrusion > 12 inches occupant site; > 18 inches any site w/in passenger space

  • Ejection (partial or complete) from auto

  • Death in same passenger compartment

  • Dive and shore break injuries with suspected spinal cord injury

  • Auto vs. pedestrian/bicyclist thrown any distance, run-over, or with significant (> 20 mph) impact 

  • Motorcycle crash including “laying bike down”, > 20 mph

 

TFA:

  • Unmanageable Airway – Triage to a Trauma Center

  • Traumatic Cardiopulmonary arrest - Triage to a Trauma Center

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