Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia

Ministry of National Guard

King Saud bin Abdulaziz
University for Health
Sciences

College of Applied Medical

Sciences
Occupational Therapy
Department
OCTH 321

POLYTRAUMA
and OT
:Supervised By
Dr. Hashem Salman

Mr. Turkey Aljohani

:Done By
Talal Alshamri Abdulelah Alnawfal Abdulaziz

Objectives
Terms & Definitions
Overview of Polytrauma injuries
Types of blast injuries
Polytrauma rehabilitation centers
Polytrauma transitional rehabilitation program
Polytrauma network sites
Long-term management/polytrauma support clinic teams
standard occupational therapy assessments used for
polytrauma patients
Journals and articles

Terms index
:Polytrauma
: Traumatic brain injury
:Amputation
:Triage
:Shrapnel
:Blast injury
:Interdisciplinary

Terms index
:Post-traumatic stress disorder
:Assistive technology
: Emerging consciousness
:Skull flap
: Sensory loss
:Age-appropriate treatment interventions

Polytrauma Definition
The definition of polytrauma stems from the Latin poly,
.meaning many, and trauma
The term is generic and has been in use for a long time
.for any case involving multiple trauma

Overview of Polytrauma
It has become common in U.S. military doctors to
describe seriously injured soldiers returning from
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF, Iraq) and Operation
.Enduring Freedom (OEF, Afghanistan)
The term polytrauma is now consistently used by U.S.
military medical personnel and the Veterans
Administration (VA) to describe the multiple, extreme,
often totally incapacitating complex of traumatic injuries
that individual U.S. service members suffer in the
.aftermath of war

Cont.:

Overview of Polytrauma

Many polytrauma injuries include multiple, severe

shrapnel injuries leading to multiple amputations,
wounds, loss of normal body function and systemic
complications, brain damage, sensory impairment, and
partial to full paralysis. This type of complex injuries is
not typically seen, even in the trauma centers of major
.urban centers that are accustomed to gang warfare

Cont.:

Overview of Polytrauma

Polytrauma centers have been developed throughout the

Department of Veterans Affairs to address the complex
medical and rehabilitation needs of these patients. The
VA defines polytrauma as injuries to more than one
physical region or organ system, one of which may be life
threatening, and which results in physical, cognitive,
psychological, or psychosocial impairments and
.functional disability

Cont.:

Overview of Polytrauma

Impairments from a polytraumatic injury are not

predictable, and the outcome for each individual is
unique. Some of the common sequelae include brain
injury; spinal cord injury; amputation; infections;
orthopedic problems such as fractures; wounds;
psychologic stressors such as post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD); crush injuries; burns; auditory and
vestibular impairments; eye, orbit, and facial injuries;
dental complications; renal, respiratory, cardiac, and
gastrointestinal compromise; peripheral nerve injuries;
.and pain

Types of Blast Injuries

:Primary blast injury
result of exposure to the over pressurization wave or the
complex pressure wave that is generated by the blast
itself. This blast over pressurization wave travels at high
velocity and is affected by the surrounding environment

Cont.:

Types of Blast Injuries

:Secondary blast injury

result of energized fragments flying through the air;
.these fragments may cause penetrating brain injury

Cont.:

Types of Blast Injuries

:Tertiary blast injury

may occur when the individual is thrown from the blast
into a solid object such as an adjacent wall or even a
.steering wheel
These types of injuries are associated with
acceleration/deceleration forces and blunt force trauma
to the brain, similar to that observed following high.speed motor vehicle accidents

Cont.:

Types of Blast Injuries

:quaternary blast injury, severe blast-related trauma

can occur as a result of significant blood loss associated
with traumatic amputations or even the inhalation of
.toxic gases released by the explosion

Polytrauma rehabilitation centers

PRCs provide acute, comprehensive, inpatient
rehabilitation and comprehensive interdisciplinary
evaluation of patients with varying levels of acuity or
.severity
PRCs maintain a full team of rehabilitation professionals,
as well as consultants from other specialties related to
.polytrauma
PRCs also serve as consultants to other facilities in the
.Polytrauma System of Care

Cont.:

Polytrauma rehabilitation
centers

As an OT serving on a polytrauma team, it is imperative to have

. knowledge and experience in treating a wide variety of conditions
For example, rehabilitation care is often focused on head/brain
injury. Therefore, the therapist must have specialized skill in
rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury (TBI), including cognitive
rehabilitation, visual-perceptual skill training, sensory loss training,
.and behavioral skill training
OTs need to have a solid understanding of the rehabilitation of
physical disabilities, including upper extremity rehabilitation,
amputation care, functional mobility, burns, wound prevention,
.balance, and hand therapy, including splinting

Cont.:

Polytrauma rehabilitation
centers

The OT must be skilled in psychosocial rehabilitation,

with a focus on family care, as well as how to work with
patients with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder),
.anxiety, and pain
The OT must be proficient in retraining performance of
ADLs and IADLs, as well as community reintegration
.training

Polytrauma Transitional
Rehabilitation Program

Polytrauma network sites

Long-Term Management/Polytrauma
Support Clinic Teams

standard occupational therapy

assessments used for polytrauma patients

Journals and articles