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Question: Trauma
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You are seeing a 14 year old boy involved in a helmet vs helmet football injury. Which of the following is true regarding his evaluation and management in the ED in regards to his equipment?
Kelly December 2, 2021 - 12:48 am
B) A screwdriver may be emergently needed to remove the facemask
Emergency physicians should be knowledgable about removing football gear in the event that a patient with significant traumatic injury is brought for evaluation. Prehospital personnel will generally leave pads and helmet in place for transport. The equipment cannot be left in place during radiographs and CT scans. Schutt helmets require a screwdriver to remove the facemask. In some helmets the facemask is not easily removed without special equipment. Both helmet and pads should be removed together – if just the helmet is removed, the pads will raise the patient’s torso resulting in hyperextension of the neck as the patient’s helmetless head falls backwards. This video reviews equipment removal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNSybjFGpWU