144: Trauma Plus: Navigating Complex Trauma Care with Flight Nurse Gwenny

What happens when a trauma patient isn’t just a trauma patient? In today’s episode, we’re diving into “Trauma Plus” — those high-stakes situations where comorbidities, medications, environmental exposures, or underlying medical emergencies complicate recognition of decompensation and change everything about how we care for our patients.I’m joined by Flight Nurse Gwenny, who brings her expertise from the field to walk us through three complex trauma cases where things aren’t what they first appear to be. You’ll hear her real-time thought process as she navigates evolving scenarios and shares her assessment priorities, differential diagnoses, and critical interventions.If you’ve ever cared for a trauma patient and thought, “Something doesn’t add up,” this episode will help sharpen your assessment skills and give you a framework for approaching the next challenging trauma case.Topics discussed in this episode:Recognizing subtle signs of trauma decompensationAssessing geriatric trauma patients with limited compensatory reservesManaging trauma patients on anticoagulationUnderstanding how hypothermia worsens bleeding and coagulopathyIdentifying and interrupting the trauma “triad of death”Balancing trauma care with underlying medical emergenciesAvoiding anchoring bias when a patient’s story doesn’t add upPrioritizing assessments and interventions during flight transportBuilding a mental checklist for “Trauma Plus” patientsConnect with Nurse Gwenny:Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLhEo_HaDEkPFA_cpQPAz2wInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/nursegwennyrn/TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@nurse.gwenny?_t=8qUUMwXhv5P&_r=1Purchase her books:https://www.nursegwenny.com/shopMentioned in this episode:Listen to the In The Heart of Care Podcasthttps://link.cohostpodcasting.com/6598429e-e927-45b0-9b57-7dd34a09d803?d=seASyqjs7