Evaluate a Casualty

1
EVALUATE A CASUALTY
TACTICAL COMBAT CASUALTY CARE
2
Perform Care Under Fire Care under fire is
rendered at the scene of the injury while you and
the casualty are still under effective hostile
fire.
3
Care Under Fire - 1

• Return fire.
• If possible, determine if the casualty is alive
  or
• dead.
• Attempts to check for airway and breathing will
• expose the rescuer to enemy fire.
• Do not attempt to provide first aid if your own
• life is in imminent danger.

4
Care Under Fire - 2

• Provide tactical care to the live casualty.
• Keep the casualty from sustaining additional
• wounds.
• Direct the casualty to return fire, move to
  cover,
• and perform self-aid (stop bleeding), if
  possible.
• If the casualty is unresponsive, move the
• casualty, his weapon, and mission-essential
• equipment to cover, situation permitting.

5
Care Under Fire - 3

• Administer life-saving hemorrhage control.
• Determine relative threat of the situation
  versus
• the risk of the casualty's bleeding to death.
• If the casualty has severe bleeding from a limb
• or has suffered amputation of a limb, apply a
• tourniquet before moving the casualty.
• Transport the casualty, weapon, and mission-
• essential equipment to cover, if possible.

6
Perform Tactical Field Care Tactical field care
is rendered by the individual when no longer
under hostile fire. Tactical field care also
applies to situations in which an injury has
occurred during the mission but there has been no
hostile fire.
7
Sequence of Steps
Check for--
1. Responsiveness 2. Airway 3. Breathing 4.
Bleeding 5. Shock 6. Fractures 7. Burns
8
Check for Responsiveness

• Are you Okay?
• Gently shake or tap casualty on the
• shoulder.
• Determine level of consciousness - AVPU.
• A Alert
• V Responds to verbal commands
• P Responds to pain
• U Unresponsive

9
Conscious Casualty

• Ask where his body feels different than usual,
• or where it hurts. Continue evaluation by
• checking for bleeding.
• If the casualty is conscious but is choking and
• cannot talk, stop the evaluation and begin
• treatment to clear the airway.

10
Unconscious Casualty

• Position the casualty and open the airway.
• Assess for breathing and chest injuries.
• Look, listen, and feel for respiration.
• Insert a nasopharyngeal airway, if applicable.
• Check for open chest wound. Apply dressing and
  perform needle chest decompression, if needed.

11
Check for Bleeding

• Look for spurts of blood or blood-soaked
• clothes.
• Look for entry and exit wounds.
• Check back of casualtys body and head.
• If bleeding is present, stop evaluation and
  dress
• all wounds. Treat for shock.

12
Check for Fractures
OPEN FRACTURE
CLOSED FRACTURE
13
Check for Burns

• Often cause extreme pain, scarring, or
• death.
• Checking for burns involves
• Checking for singed clothes.
• Looking carefully for reddened, blistered, or
  
• charred skin.

14
Administer Medications
Administer pain medications and antibiotics (the
casualty's combat pill pack) to any soldier
wounded in combat. Each soldier will be issued a
combat pill pack prior to deployment on tactical
missions.
15
Transport Casualty

• Transport the casualty to the site where
• evacuation is anticipated, if necessary.
• Seek medical aid.

16
Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC)

• When nonmedical vehicles are used to transport
• a casualty, it is called CASEVAC.
• A soldier accompanying an unconscious casualty
• should monitor the casualty's airway,
  breathing,
• and bleeding.