Soft Tissue Injury

Soft Tissues Injuries They include skin, fatty tissue, muscles, blood

vessels, fibrous tissues, membranes, glands and nerves.

The most obvious soft tissue injuries involves the skin

It is divided into: Closed wounds Open wounds

Closed Wounds It is an internal injury with no open pathway

from the outside to the injured site. It results from blunt injuries. It includes:

Contusion: Hematoma Crush injuries

Contusion Bruise Disruption of small blood vessels and extravasation

of blood into the skin and/or mucous membranes that does not interrupt the skin integrity

S & S: pain, swelling and discoloration at wound site.

It may be an indication of internal injuries and related internal bleeding.

Hematoma Swelling caused by the

collection of blood under the skin or in damaged tissues as a result of an injured or broken blood vessel.

Crush Injury It is an injury caused when

force is transmitted from the body’s exterior to its internal structures.

Bones can be broken; muscles, nerves and tissues damaged and internal organs ruptured causing internal bleeding.

Care of patients with closed wound ABC Consider presence of internal bleeding, care

for shock. Splint painful, swollen and deformed

extremities. Be alert for possible vomiting Monitor for shock Transport as soon as possible

Open Wounds It is an injury in which the skin is interrupted,

exposing the tissue beneath. The interruption can come outside as laceration

or from inside caused by fractured bones Types:

Abrasions Lacerations Punctures Avulsions Amputations Crush injuries

Abrasions A scratch or scrape An epidermal and

dermal injury caused by a friction, rubbing, or scraping motion

S & S: no bleeding but mild oozing, pain

Lacerations A cut Open wound from

external forces causing a tearing or splitting of the skin, involving the dermis, epidermis, or underlying structures

Puncture Wound An open wound that tears through the skin and

destroys underlying tissues. Can be shallow or deep Perforated wound has both an entrance and exit

wound. Puncture wounds bleed minimally and tend to trap

foreign material that can lead to infection. Animal and human bites can be considered puncture

wounds and should be treated as contaminated wounds.

Avulsion Tearing away or tearing off of a piece or flap of skin

or other soft tissue. A full thickness skin loss or resultant flap in which

the wound edges cannot be approximated Also used for eye pulled form its socket or dislodged

teeth. Deploring: A serious type of avulsion injury

resulting from high-energy shearing forces that tear large areas of skin and subcutaneous tissue away from the underlying vascular supply

Amputations The surgical removal or traumatic severing of

a body part usually an extremity. Complete amputations will have less active

bleeding than partial amputations because of retraction and constriction of the severed arteries.

Crush Injury

Care of patients with open wounds Expose the wound Clean wound surface (large pieces) Control bleeding Care for shock Prevent further contamination Bandage dressing in place after bleeding control Keep patient lying still Reassure the patient