Prehospital Trauma Life and Support 2025/2026
Guiding rule for prehospital care based on patient needs
Principle basis on which a patients chance of survival is maximised
Preference How the principle is accomplished in prehospital care
Xsanguination
Airway
Breathing
Circulation
what does XABCDE stand for Disability
Expose/environment
Situation at scene
Patient severity
Factors that may change the preference Prehospital care provider knowledge and skills
Resources available
what does team approach mean in pre PHTLS stresses utilizing a team approach between people with various levels of
hospital trauma life and support knowledge and skills.
critical to ensure quality and timely patient care.
Complete and clear communication between receiving agencies and prehospital
providers will further optimize care.
why is effective communication important Assists with activating needed hospital resources such as trauma teams and
surgical resources
Massive bleeding, Airway, Respirations, Circulation, Head
What does MARCH mean (similar to
XABCDE)
Catastrophic hemorrhage control, Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability,
What does CABCDE stand for (also similar
Expose/environment
to XABCDE)
what are the phases of trauma care pre event, event phase, post event
Circumstances leading up to injury
Primarily focuses on injury prevention
Maintain your education on the most current evidence-based medical practices.
This includes:
update your medical knowledge much like you update your handheld devices.
what characterises the pre event phase Review new and current equipment on your response unit at the beginning of your
shift and in training.
Discuss individual responsibilities and expectations of shift and patient care duties.
Moment of actual trauma
what characterises the event phase Actions taken during this phase aim to minimize injuries as a result of trauma.
Motor vehicle safety restraint systems, air bags, and motorcycle helmets play a role
what are examples of things that play a in injury reduction.
role in injury reduction during and event
phase
what characterises the post event phase outcome of a traumatic event
occurs within first hour after an incident.
what are the characteristics during the first Massive hemorrhage could be an example of this, it occurs for some while waiting
phase of death for medical care to arrive.
occurs within the first few hours of an incident.
what are the characteristics during the
Preventable with quality prehospital and hospital care.
second phase of death
, Prehospital Trauma Lifeoccurs
and Support
several days to several weeks after the incident.
2025/2026
Caused by multiple organ failure
what are the characteristics of the third Future research is needed for managing and preventing multiple organ failure.
phase of death Early and aggressive treatment of shock in prehospital setting can prevent some of
these deaths.
amount of time a patient has between time of injury and time of needed treatment
what does the golden period refer to before they die from their injuries
because some patients have more or less time depending on their injuries of when
why is the golden period mot referred to as
they need care before they die
the the golden hour anymore
8-9 minutes
what is average time in response between
activation of emergency services and
scene arrival.
8-9 minutes
what is average response time to receiving
facility
Pre hospital care providers must spend as little time on scene as possible.
what are the main responsibilities of the
Patients must be transported to the most appropriate facility.
provider during on scene care
what are the two factors that contribute to Effective communication and effective documentation
high quality patient care
Required to maintain continuity of patient care
For legal purposes
why is effective documentation important To support and continue trauma research
To support trauma system funding
Consider the possible safety hazards and the resources available
what is the purpose of the scene size up
when arriving to a call
Rapid global overview of the status of a patient's respiratory, circulatory, and
neurologic systems
what is the purpose of the general
impression of your patient Identify obvious threats to life or limb.
Caused by abrasions that have scraped open the tiny capillaries beneath the skin
Characteristics of capillary bleeding Occurs with all wounds, is slight and is controlled with direct pressure
Trauma to a vein
Originates from deeper in the tissue
characteristics of venous bleeding Usually controlled with direct pressure
Not under direct pressure from the pumping heart so blood flows evenly
Trauma to an artery
Difficult to control
Characterized by spurting blood
Can quickly result in life-threatening hypovolemia
Under direct pressure from the pumping heart, so blood will spurt with each
Characteristics of arterial bleeding heartbeat
Because this bleeding is under pressure, blood loss can be severe in a short
amount of time and bleeding control can be more challenging
Simple Triage and Rapid Transport
What does START triage stand for and start triaging wherever you're standing
what 3 primary observations is it based off
of Respiration, perfusion and mental status
what does SALT triage stand for Sort, Assess, Life saving interventions, transport/treatment.
Guiding rule for prehospital care based on patient needs
Principle basis on which a patients chance of survival is maximised
Preference How the principle is accomplished in prehospital care
Xsanguination
Airway
Breathing
Circulation
what does XABCDE stand for Disability
Expose/environment
Situation at scene
Patient severity
Factors that may change the preference Prehospital care provider knowledge and skills
Resources available
what does team approach mean in pre PHTLS stresses utilizing a team approach between people with various levels of
hospital trauma life and support knowledge and skills.
critical to ensure quality and timely patient care.
Complete and clear communication between receiving agencies and prehospital
providers will further optimize care.
why is effective communication important Assists with activating needed hospital resources such as trauma teams and
surgical resources
Massive bleeding, Airway, Respirations, Circulation, Head
What does MARCH mean (similar to
XABCDE)
Catastrophic hemorrhage control, Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability,
What does CABCDE stand for (also similar
Expose/environment
to XABCDE)
what are the phases of trauma care pre event, event phase, post event
Circumstances leading up to injury
Primarily focuses on injury prevention
Maintain your education on the most current evidence-based medical practices.
This includes:
update your medical knowledge much like you update your handheld devices.
what characterises the pre event phase Review new and current equipment on your response unit at the beginning of your
shift and in training.
Discuss individual responsibilities and expectations of shift and patient care duties.
Moment of actual trauma
what characterises the event phase Actions taken during this phase aim to minimize injuries as a result of trauma.
Motor vehicle safety restraint systems, air bags, and motorcycle helmets play a role
what are examples of things that play a in injury reduction.
role in injury reduction during and event
phase
what characterises the post event phase outcome of a traumatic event
occurs within first hour after an incident.
what are the characteristics during the first Massive hemorrhage could be an example of this, it occurs for some while waiting
phase of death for medical care to arrive.
occurs within the first few hours of an incident.
what are the characteristics during the
Preventable with quality prehospital and hospital care.
second phase of death
, Prehospital Trauma Lifeoccurs
and Support
several days to several weeks after the incident.
2025/2026
Caused by multiple organ failure
what are the characteristics of the third Future research is needed for managing and preventing multiple organ failure.
phase of death Early and aggressive treatment of shock in prehospital setting can prevent some of
these deaths.
amount of time a patient has between time of injury and time of needed treatment
what does the golden period refer to before they die from their injuries
because some patients have more or less time depending on their injuries of when
why is the golden period mot referred to as
they need care before they die
the the golden hour anymore
8-9 minutes
what is average time in response between
activation of emergency services and
scene arrival.
8-9 minutes
what is average response time to receiving
facility
Pre hospital care providers must spend as little time on scene as possible.
what are the main responsibilities of the
Patients must be transported to the most appropriate facility.
provider during on scene care
what are the two factors that contribute to Effective communication and effective documentation
high quality patient care
Required to maintain continuity of patient care
For legal purposes
why is effective documentation important To support and continue trauma research
To support trauma system funding
Consider the possible safety hazards and the resources available
what is the purpose of the scene size up
when arriving to a call
Rapid global overview of the status of a patient's respiratory, circulatory, and
neurologic systems
what is the purpose of the general
impression of your patient Identify obvious threats to life or limb.
Caused by abrasions that have scraped open the tiny capillaries beneath the skin
Characteristics of capillary bleeding Occurs with all wounds, is slight and is controlled with direct pressure
Trauma to a vein
Originates from deeper in the tissue
characteristics of venous bleeding Usually controlled with direct pressure
Not under direct pressure from the pumping heart so blood flows evenly
Trauma to an artery
Difficult to control
Characterized by spurting blood
Can quickly result in life-threatening hypovolemia
Under direct pressure from the pumping heart, so blood will spurt with each
Characteristics of arterial bleeding heartbeat
Because this bleeding is under pressure, blood loss can be severe in a short
amount of time and bleeding control can be more challenging
Simple Triage and Rapid Transport
What does START triage stand for and start triaging wherever you're standing
what 3 primary observations is it based off
of Respiration, perfusion and mental status
what does SALT triage stand for Sort, Assess, Life saving interventions, transport/treatment.
