International journal of trauma nursing
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Review Case Reports
Blunt cardiac injury in the elderly trauma patient.
Elderly patients are at significant risk for development of complications after a traumatic event as a result of the aging process. This case discusses the diagnosis and sequelae of blunt cardiac injury, as well as the needs and approaches for an elderly patient. Nursing care interventions are provided.
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Trauma care appears to be a relatively young science because of the major strides made after World War II. A historical foundation of today's practice is provided, with interesting anecdotes concerning some of the pioneers, their motivations, and the reactions of their medical peers. A chronology of trauma care highlights the growth of multiple fields of science that eventually blended to become the basis for modern care.
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The assessment and management of pain in children has been essentially ignored until recently. Thankfully, these "dark ages of pain" are ending. The trauma nurse is an integral part of the pain management team and can have a positive impact on outcome by using a combination of relatively simple strategies. These include using multiple types of assessment to measure the severity of pain; providing adequate pain relief with a combination of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions; and carefully monitoring and documenting the efficacy of all pain management approaches.