Main Presenting Signs and Symptoms Following Toxic Trauma

5 Main Presenting Signs and Symptoms Following Toxic Trauma 

The following notes are intended to emphasise the key features that should be sought during patient examination following a toxic release and are intended to supplement the standard medical procedures for examination which will be found in other texts on the management of the acutely injured. 

This is done most rapidly by AVPU (is the patient Alert, is there a response to Vocal commands or Painful stimuli, or Umesponsive) followed by a full GCS assessment (Box 7.3). This will indicate a central nervous system (CNS)-driven need for airway and ventilation management. A GCS of 8 is usually taken to be an indicator of the need for definitive airway management (intubation) and ventilation, but this should take account of the respiratory state also. 

3 Assessment of disability using the Glasgow Coma Scaleand 

Assessment is made of eye opening, verbal and motor responses. 

---