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    POSITION EMS Spinal Precautions and The Use of The Long Backboard

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    Luis-alfredo Perez Bolde Hernandez
    The National Association of EMS Physicians and American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma issued guidelines on the use of long backboards for spinal immobilization. They believe that while backboards are commonly used, their benefits are largely unproven and they can cause patient pain, respiratory issues, and pressure ulcers. Backboard use should be judicious, with immobilization instead using a cervical collar and secure stretcher straps when possible. Patients without signs of spinal injury or intoxication generally do not need backboards. Education is needed for EMS personnel on evaluating spinal injury risk and alternative precautions.

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    POSITION EMS Spinal Precautions and The Use of The Long Backboard

    Uploaded by

    Luis-alfredo Perez Bolde Hernandez
    83 views2 pages
    The National Association of EMS Physicians and American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma issued guidelines on the use of long backboards for spinal immobilization. They believe that while backboards are commonly used, their benefits are largely unproven and they can cause patient pain, respiratory issues, and pressure ulcers. Backboard use should be judicious, with immobilization instead using a cervical collar and secure stretcher straps when possible. Patients without signs of spinal injury or intoxication generally do not need backboards. Education is needed for EMS personnel on evaluating spinal injury risk and alternative precautions.

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    POSITION EMS Spinal Precautions and the Use of the Long Backboard

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    The National Association of EMS Physicians and American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma issued guidelines on the use of long backboards for spinal immobilization. They believe that while backboards are commonly used, their benefits are largely unproven and they can cause patient pain, respiratory issues, and pressure ulcers. Backboard use should be judicious, with immobilization instead using a cervical collar and secure stretcher straps when possible. Patients without signs of spinal injury or intoxication generally do not need backboards. Education is needed for EMS personnel on evaluating spinal injury risk and alternative precautions.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    83 views2 pages

    POSITION EMS Spinal Precautions and The Use of The Long Backboard

    Uploaded by

    Luis-alfredo Perez Bolde Hernandez
    The National Association of EMS Physicians and American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma issued guidelines on the use of long backboards for spinal immobilization. They believe that while backboards are commonly used, their benefits are largely unproven and they can cause patient pain, respiratory issues, and pressure ulcers. Backboard use should be judicious, with immobilization instead using a cervical collar and secure stretcher straps when possible. Patients without signs of spinal injury or intoxication generally do not need backboards. Education is needed for EMS personnel on evaluating spinal injury risk and alternative precautions.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 2

    POSITION STATEMENT

    EMS SPINAL PRECAUTIONS AND THE USE OF THE LONG BACKBOARD


    National Association of EMS Physicians and American College
    of Surgeons Committee on Trauma
    ABSTRACT
    This is the ofcial position of the National Association of
    EMS Physicians and the American College of Surgeons
    Committee on Trauma regarding emergency medical ser-
    vices spinal precautions and the use of the long back-
    board. Key words: spine; backboard; EMS; position state-
    ment; NAEMSP; ACS-COT.
    PREHOSPITAL EMERGENCY CARE 2013;17:392393
    The National Association of EMS Physicians and the
    American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma
    believe that:
    r
    Long backboards are commonly used to attempt to
    provide rigid spinal immobilization among emer-
    gency medical services (EMS) trauma patients.
    However, the benet of long backboards is largely
    unproven.
    r
    The long backboard can induce pain, patient ag-
    itation, and respiratory compromise. Further, the
    backboard can decrease tissue perfusion at pres-
    sure points, leading to the development of pressure
    ulcers.
    r
    Utilization of backboards for spinal immobilization
    during transport should be judicious, so that the po-
    tential benets outweigh the risks.
    r
    Appropriate patients to be immobilized with a back-
    board may include those with:
    Approved by the National Association of EMS Physicians Board of
    Directors December 17, 2012.
    Approved by the American College of Surgeons Committee on
    Trauma October 30, 2012. Received January 15, 2013; accepted for
    publication January 15, 2013.
    doi: 10.3109/10903127.2013.773115

    Blunt trauma and altered level of consciousness

    Spinal pain or tenderness

    Neurologic complaint (e.g., numbness or motor


    weakness)

    Anatomic deformity of the spine

    High-energy mechanism of injury and any of the


    following:

    Drug or alcohol intoxication

    Inability to communicate

    Distracting injury
    r
    Patients for whom immobilization on a backboard is
    not necessary include those with all of the following:

    Normal level of consciousness (Glasgow Coma


    Score [GCS] 15)

    No spine tenderness or anatomic abnormality

    No neurologic ndings or complaints

    No distracting injury

    No intoxication
    r
    Patients with penetrating trauma to the head, neck,
    or torso and no evidence of spinal injury should not
    be immobilized on a backboard.
    r
    Spinal precautions can be maintained by application
    of a rigid cervical collar and securing the patient
    rmly to the EMS stretcher, and may be most appro-
    priate for:

    Patients who are found to be ambulatory at the


    scene

    Patients who must be transported for a protracted


    time, particularly prior to interfacility transfer

    Patients for whom a backboard is not otherwise


    indicated
    r
    Whether or not a backboard is used, attention
    to spinal precautions among at-risk patients is
    paramount. These include application of a cervi-
    cal collar, adequate security to a stretcher, mini-
    mal movement/transfers, and maintenance of in-
    line stabilization during any necessary movement/
    transfers.
    392
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    Position Statement: Spinal Precautions 393
    r
    Education of eld EMS personnel should include
    evaluation of the risk of spinal injury in the context
    of options to provide spinal precautions.
    r
    Protocols or plans to promote judicious use of long
    backboards during prehospital care should engage
    as many stakeholders in the trauma/EMS system as
    possible.
    r
    Patients should be removed from backboards
    as soon as practical in an emergency depart-
    ment.
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