76: Trauma Breakdown: Beyond the Blood and Guts... A Complicated Case Study with Guest Sarah Vance RN

If you hear “trauma” and immediately think of blood and guts, this episode with host Sarah Lorenzini’s friend, critical care nurse and educator Sarah Vance, will show you that there’s so much more to trauma cases. Because even localized injuries can affect the whole body, and issues can pile up and require conflicting treatments. That’s why trauma cases require an advanced level of assessment and critical thinking skills.During this episode, Sarah Vance RN tells the story of a patient who was admitted with a brain bleed, orthopedic, and cervical injuries after a motorcycle accident. Like many trauma cases, the patient’s condition got a lot more complicated as his injuries progressed and he sustained secondary injuries within the respiratory system. The patient had a long list of issues, including traumatic head injury, ARDS, fistulas, necrotizing pneumonia, and MORE.Sarah Vance also goes into more detail on his pathophysiological injuries, as well as how the ICU team assessed and treated his competing issues to lead the patient to a miracle recovery. Tune in to learn about the management of complex multisystem trauma cases!Topics discussed in this episode:Sarah’s career journey and why she took a break from nursingThe trauma patient’s injuries and the initial interventionsThe ICU team’s concerns and how his care evolved as more damage set inWhat prompted them to place an external ventricular drainHow the patient developed ARDSHow the ICU team treated the patient’s opposing issuesThe patient’s long journey to recoveryConnect with Sarah Vance!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iseeu_nurse/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iseeu_nurseWebsite: https://iseeunurse.com/Mentioned in this episode:Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the SickClick here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building: https://www.rapidresponseandrescue.com/community