05/09/2024
If you are still using backboards (long boards) at your EMS agency, this post is for you.
If not, you can skip this one.
Interestingly, despite multiple studies and position statements (linked below), backboards are still being used to transport patients.
In 2018, the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), and the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), released a position statement on EMS Spinal Precautions that provided the indications of using a long backboard.
More than 6 years later, we still see patients transported on these painful devices.
Spinal motion restriction should be the goal, which involves using a c-collar and firmly securing the patient to the stretcher to limit movement.
So why are patients still suffering a painful ride to the hospital?
Here's what happens when people lay on a hard board:
• Pressure injuries, particularly from long spine board use, could start in as little as 30 minutes!
• Decreased respiratory function from chest straps, especially concerning for children and the elderly
• Pain within 30 minutes of immobilization, including headaches and back pain
📣 It's worth highlighting, that there is no role for SMR in penetrating trauma.
What have we found most useful?
◘ We have converted to using the Scoop Stretcher to get the patient from the ground to the stretcher.....then we remove the scoop.
◘ The patient's spinal movement is being restricted by laying flat on the stretcher, sans hard board.
◘ We still use the C-Collar, yet the hard plastic devices have been called into question (not a surprise). A softer, fitted C-Collar seems to make more sense, yet this still hasn't been established in the literature.
More on C-Collars here: https://ow.ly/E8Mq50RwGOa
📚 Read the 2018 Position Statement here: https://ow.ly/fpN850RwGOb
Other related articles:
⦿ https://ow.ly/B5A850RwGO8.
⦿ https://ow.ly/VyFV50RwGOc
⦿ https://ow.ly/U6Ya50RwGOe
⦿ https://ow.ly/BUY150RwGOf
⦿ https://ow.ly/pUWH50RwGO9
