Exsanguinating bleed
Look for spurting or massive extremity bleeding, junctional hemorrhage, and pooling blood. Control it immediately with pressure, packing, or a tourniquet as trained.
Start here
Trauma thinking in four moves
Mechanism tells you what to look for. The survey tells you what will kill the patient first. Treatment and transport decisions follow the findings—not a memorized checklist alone.
Scenehazards, resources, mechanism
XABCbleed, airway, breath, perfusion
Decidestabilize vs load-and-go
Reassessafter every major action
Choose your path
Where should you begin?
Choose a learning goal
The center will point you to the best section and connect you to matching EMSCodeSim tools.
Primary trauma survey
Use XABC before you get lost in details
Many modern trauma courses emphasize catastrophic hemorrhage first when bleeding will kill the patient in minutes. Then continue airway, breathing, and circulation while protecting the spine as indicated.
Airway
Open and protect the airway. Consider trauma positioning, suction, and adjuncts. Maintain spinal motion restriction when mechanism and findings support it.
Breathing
Assess rate, depth, chest rise, breath sounds, and oxygenation. Seal open chest wounds and support inadequate ventilation.
Circulation
Check pulse quality, skin, major bleeding, and shock signs. Keep the patient warm and minimize scene delay when perfusion is failing.
Disability & exposure: After ABCs, check mental status/pupils briefly, then expose enough to find hidden injuries while preventing hypothermia.
Hemorrhage and shock
Stop the bleeding and recognize poor perfusion early
Bleeding control ladder
- Direct pressure with a clean dressing
- Pressure dressing / wound packing when trained and indicated
- Tourniquet high and tight for severe extremity bleeding that pressure cannot control
- Junctional bleeding may need specialized packing/devices per protocol
Shock clues you should not miss
- Anxiety, restlessness, or declining mental status
- Tachycardia and weak peripheral pulses
- Cool, pale, or clammy skin
- Delayed capillary refill (especially in children)
- Falling blood pressure is often a late adult finding
Compensated vs decompensated: Adults can look “OK” while losing volume. Treat the trend—rising pulse, worsening skin, and anxiety—before waiting for hypotension.
Injury regions
Know what each body region is trying to tell you
Chest trauma
Watch for unequal breath sounds, open chest wounds, flail segments, hypoxia, and signs of tension physiology. Support breathing and move toward definitive care quickly.
Breath sound center →Abdomen & pelvis
Blunt force can hide major bleeding. Guarding, distention, seat-belt signs, pelvic instability concern, and unexplained shock all raise urgency.
Blunt trauma scenario →Musculoskeletal
Splint in the position of comfort when possible, check distal CSM before and after movement, and do not let limb care delay hemorrhage or airway priorities.
Horse-crush scenario →Burns
Airway burns and inhalation injury can worsen fast. Estimate TBSA with the Rule of Nines, prevent hypothermia, and follow burn destination guidance.
Rule of Nines tool →Head & spine
Protect the airway, watch for declining LOC or unequal pupils, and use spinal motion restriction based on mechanism, exam, and reliability—not habit alone.
GCS trainer →Packaging & transport
Choose movement devices that protect injuries without forcing painful positions. Reassess distal CSM after every significant move.
Trauma skill sheets →Connected practice
Turn recognition into full-call habits
Short drills build recall. Scenarios force you to sequence assessment, treatment, packaging, and reassessment.
Trauma scenarios
Horse-crush immersive trauma plus blunt trauma, pediatric, and medical cases in the launcher.
Trauma quiz drill
Practice NREMT trauma-domain questions, then review explanations and weak areas.
Timed practice exam
Include trauma items inside a full domain-weighted exam with a live timer.
Priority lab
Choose the next best action
Work three short trauma cases. The goal is priority selection—not memorizing a single script.
Official references
Continue with current national guidance
Training reminder: This center teaches recognition and priorities. Hands-on hemorrhage control, airway maneuvers, spinal motion restriction, and packaging must be learned and evaluated through approved instruction and local protocol.