The Case.
A 46 year old restrained passenger in a high-speed MVA rolls into the resus bay. She is intubated & sedated [easily ventilated & oxygenated, no evidence of chest trauma], persistently tachycardic @ 160/min with a systolic BP of 90mmHg & has a very postive FAST exam….
She spends less than 15 minutes in your ED (extra IV access, blood transfusion continued, limbs splinted) before heading for a trauma laparotomy. She has a liver laceration (repaired) and capsular haematoma, complete bladder rupture (repaired) and splenic haematoma (managed conservatively). Post-op she goes via radiology for a ‘pan-scan’….
Her post-operative ICU stay is a rocky one, marked by ongoing transfusion, coagulopathy and persistent tachycardia (still around 160 beats per minute). Some 6 hours later with her haemoglobin & INR stable, she remained tachycardic at 150-60 (still sinus) & has developed a temperature of 38.6*C.
What are your thoughts ??