PRIMARY SURVEY X RAY CERVICAL SPINE MANUAL
PRIMARY SURVEY X RAY CERVICAL SPINE FULL

A hand can be slid posteriorly along a supine patient to check for occult blood loss however, a formal examination of the back of the chest occurs when the patient is log rolled.Īuscultate the lung fields note any percussion, altered/reduced breath sounds, wheezing or crepitations.Ĭheck the heart sounds: apex beat and presence and quality of heart sounds. The entire thorax must be palpated including the supraclavicular fossae, right and left ribs and both axillae. The chest should be palpated for rib tenderness and subcutaneous emphysema. This can be combined with the back examination.

PRIMARY SURVEY X RAY CERVICAL SPINE FULL

The patient will need to be log rolled to complete the full examination. Note any cervical spine pain, tenderness or deformity.Ĭheck the soft tissues for bruising, pain and tenderness.Ĭomplete the neck examination by observing the neck veins for distension and palpating the trachea and the carotid pulse.

PRIMARY SURVEY X RAY CERVICAL SPINE MANUAL

The cervical collar should be opened, the head supported with manual in-line stabilisation and the neck inspected. Palpate the bony margins of the orbit, maxilla, nose and jaw. Test eye movements, pupillary reflexes, vision and hearing. Inspect the teeth, noting if any are loose, fractured or missing. Note any swelling, which may indicate inhalation injury. Look in the mouth for any lacerations to the gums, lips, tongue or palate. Look in the eyes for any burn injury, foreign body, subconjunctival haemorrhage, hyphaema, irregular iris, penetrating injury or contact lenses.Īssess the ears for any signs of cerebrospinal fluid leak, bleeding or blood behind the tympanic membrane.Ĭheck the nose for any deformities, bleeding, nasal septal haematoma, cerebrospinal fluid leak or presence of any soot/ash as well as singeing of nasal hairs. Check the eyelashes and eyebrows for singeing. Gently palpate for any depressions or irregularities in the skull. Look for any lacerations and bruising as well as mastoid or periorbital bruising, which is indicative of a base of skull fracture. While examining the patient it is helpful to have another staff member documenting the location and extent of the injuries as they are called out by the assessing clinician. The recommended tool for assisting in calculating this in adults is the Wallace rule of nines chart. It is important to accurately document the location and area of the burn. The extent of the burn is measured as the percentage of TBSA. This will allow fluid resuscitation requirements to be calculated and the severity of the injury to be determined to assess if transfer to a specialist facility is required. Measuring burnsĪssessing burn depth and calculating the percentage of the total body surface area burnt is important during the head-to-toe examination. Used with permission from: Victorian Burns Unitĭuring this examination, any injuries detected should be accurately documented and any required treatment should occur, such as covering wounds, managing non-life-threatening bleeding and splinting of fractures.

Primary survey x ray cervical spine