Shooting Victim Management

What do you think is the most common injury leading to preventable death in civilian public mass shooting events? Many individuals might guess severe extremity bleeding, but the data tells a different story. On this episode of From Science to the Scene, Dr. Ash Panchal breaks down a critical study that every EMS Clinician needs to understand. The research looks closely at autopsy reports to find out what causes potentially preventable death in these terrible situations. The data reveals that civilian injuries are very different from military injuries, meaning our traditional response plans must adapt. Instead of the extremity wounds often seen on the battlefield, the vast majority of these civilian casualties suffer from hidden, non-hemorrhaging chest wounds, where a tension pneumothorax can quietly become fatal. Compounding this challenge, fewer than one in four of these individuals ever survive long enough to reach a hospital bed. This devastating reality proves that the windows of time for lifesaving medical intervention and rapid scene transport are overlapping and incredibly short. We must continue to learn how to improve our triage, care, and movement of patients in chaotic environments. Tune in to explore how the SALT mass casualty triage protocol helps us make a difference when every second counts. Read the full study here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31029762/