Browse categories and answer follow-up questions to refine your symptom profile.
Immediate priorities
Life threats
Hemorrhagic shock
Massive hemothorax
Ongoing intrathoracic bleeding
Ventilatory failure
Lung collapse
Associated pneumothorax
Obstructive physiology
Tension hemothorax
Mediastinal shift
Concurrent injuries
Penetrating chest trauma
Blunt thoracic trauma
Major vascular injury
Airway and breathing
High-flow oxygen
Target SpO2 94-98%
Lower target 88-92% if chronic hypercapnia risk
Ventilation support
Assisted ventilation for fatigue
Early intubation if refractory hypoxemia
Immediate decompression triggers
Severe respiratory distress with unilateral absent breath sounds
Hypotension with suspected tension physiology
Circulation and hemorrhage control
IV access and monitoring
Two large-bore IVs
Arterial line if ongoing shock
Continuous ECG monitoring
Transfusion strategy
Massive transfusion protocol activation criteria
Hemodynamic instability with suspected major bleeding
Rapidly falling hemoglobin with trauma
Positive eFAST with shock
Balanced resuscitation
PRBCs with plasma and platelets per institutional ratio
Calcium replacement during massive transfusion
Anticoagulant considerations
Anticoagulant and antiplatelet history
Reversal pathway if life-threatening bleeding
Early definitive actions
Tube thoracostomy readiness
Large-bore chest tube equipment
Analgesia plan
Blood loss quantification plan
Surgical escalation triggers
Initial chest tube output >1500 mL
Ongoing output >200 mL/hour for 2-4 hours
Persistent shock despite resuscitation and drainage
Suspected great vessel injury
Hemodynamic targets
Perfusion goals
MAP at least 65 mmHg
Mentation and urine output trends
Permissive hypotension
Consider until hemorrhage control in penetrating trauma without TBI
Avoid if traumatic brain injury suspected
Consultation and activation
Trauma surgery
Any traumatic hemothorax needing tube thoracostomy
Massive hemothorax criteria
Thoracic surgery
Ongoing bleeding criteria
Retained hemothorax needing operative management
Interventional radiology
Suspected arterial bleeding on CT
Stable patient with focal contrast extravasation
SymptomDx is an educational tool for medical professionals. It does not replace clinical judgment. Verify all clinical data and drug dosages with authoritative sources.