Triage Review

Triage is an effective strategy in situations where:  There are many more victims than rescuers  There are limited resources  Time is critical

During triage:  Victims are evaluated  Sorted by the urgency of the treatment needed  Placed into immediate and delayed treatment areas

Doing the Greatest Good, For the Greatest Number KEY PRINCIPLE

SCENE SAFETY: Size Up Size up the scene, Make sure the scene is safe for you to enter CREATE ORDER: Next, ask those who are not injured or who have minor injuries to identify themselves

Walking Wounded… When entering room or area, shout out, “if you can hear me, come to the sound of my voice.” Self rescue is best rescue Tag GREEN for minor, Send to a safe area Ask about other victims in area

Triage Color Codes GREEN – minor BLACK – deceased RED – immediate YELLOW – delayed

With START one patient is assessed every 30 seconds First responder quickly assesses to categorize a patient’s condition  Airway and respiration  Pulse and / or capillary refill  Level of consciousness

The only treatment rendered by the triage team is to:  Open a patient’s airway (head tilt / neck lift)  Apply direct pressure to stop an obvious bleed  Elevating the extremities

Triage Rule – 30, 2, How are you? 30 respirations/minutes 2 second capillary refill rate [or strong pulse] Able to obey simple commands

How would you tag each of the victims described below? YELLOW G = GREEN, MinorY = YELLOW, Delay R = RED, ImmediateB = BLACK, Dead  No bleeding. Dazed and confused. Doesn't squeeze hand when asked. R <30, P 2 seconds  RED, Immediate  Non-Ambulatory. Responds to voice triage. Minor bleeding. R <30, P Normal blanch 2 seconds, M Responds YELLOW YELLOW, Delay SELF TEST

How would you tag each of the victims described below? G = Green, MinorY = Yellow, Delay R = Red, ImmediateB = Black, Dead  Very bloody thigh. Unconscious. After two attempts to open airway, still not breathing.  Black, Dead  No signs of bleeding. Unconscious. R 5 seconds  Red, Immediate  Minor bleeding. R <30. Capillary refill < 2 seconds. Conscious - slightly disoriented, but obeys commands  Yellow, Delay SELF TEST

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