TRAUMA TEAM FOLLOWS ABCs TO TREAT CALEB

When a trauma patient like Caleb comes into a hospital, several mechanisms go into effect.

Trauma teams, made up of physicians, nurses and technicians, concentrate on the ABCs, said Pat Pennington, manager of emergency services at Southeast Missouri Hospital: Airways, Breathing and Circulation.

In Caleb's case, A and B weren't a problem. Circulation was a problem, Wynkoop said. The major lacerations Caleb suffered in the accident damaged many veins and arteries and caused him to lose a lot of blood.

"He had to have two half-units the day he came in," Wynkoop said. "That's like an adult having to have four or five whole units."

In addition to obvious risks of bleeding to death, if the arteries and veins aren't repaired properly, they can't carry the blood where it needs to go to keep tissues oxygenated or carry away waste.

Kathy Crist, service director of emergency services at St. Francis Medical Center, said communication is the key. Emergency room personnel keep in contact with paramedics in the field "so before the patient arrives, we already know, hopefully, for the most part, his status and the extent of his injuries."

Personnel in the radiology, respiratory and laboratory sections are notified of a trauma patient's arrival so they'll be ready to get to work.

Trauma personnel work to stabilize the patient and prevent shock, Pennington said.

Wynkoop puts it a little more bluntly. "You're worried about what's going to kill you in the first 10 minutes," he said.

Once stabilized, the patient is off to surgery or to other specialists.