Equipment 8-792 - Splint General

CMH EMS & MIH Protocols

Scope of Practice:

• Emergency Medical Responder
• Emergency Medical Technician
• Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
• Registered Nurse
• Paramedic

Indications:

• Protocol 2-132 - Bites and Envenomations.
• Protocol 2-396 - Extremity Trauma.
• Protocol 2-660 - Pain Control.
• Protocol 2-924 - Universal Patient Care.

Contraindications:

• None.

Precautions:

• May be time consuming, should not take priority over life threatening conditions.
• Bone fracture splints should immobilize joints above and below. Joint fractures should immobilize bones above and below.

General Procedure:

• Following splints are recommended for the following situations. Every situation is different, so splints may have to be improvised to achieve the desired effect of immobilization:
• Clavicle: Sling and swath.
• Radius/ulna: Ladder, board, or SAM.
• Tibia/fibula: Ladder, board, or SAM.
• Ankle: Pillow.
• Joints: In position found.
• Pelvis: Scoop, pillow, inverted KED, LSB, MAST.
• Hand: In position of function.
• Assess distal pulse, motor, and senses before and after splinting.

Evac-U-Splint Procedure:

• Preparation:
• Lay mattress on flat surface near patient. Head and Shoulder logo indicates the Head end.
• Remove valve cap. Release vacuum by pushing red valve stem. Keep valve pushed in until mattress is pliable.
• Disconnect strap from patient side of mattress and position top strap at level of armpit.
• Smooth out beads to form level surface.
• Connect pump to mattress at either foot or head end. Foot end is preferred. Pediatric mattress only has valve on foot end.
• Application:
• Assess patient’s respiratory and neurovascular status.
• Log roll patient onto mattress with manual c-spine control.
• Secure patient using straps. Remove excess strap slack working head to feet.
• Repeat strap tightening if needed working head to feet.
• Shape mattress and fill voids.
• Evacuate air from mattress. Pump may require up to 35 strokes to achieve rigid immobilization.
• Disconnect pump. Replace cap on valve.
• Secure head using adhesive tape.
• Assess patient’s respiratory and neurovascular status.

CMH Pre-Hospital Services Mission: "Provide safe, exceptional, and compassionate care to our communities with an emphasis on highly trained and empowered staff."

CMH Mobile Integrated Healthcare Mission: "Provide exceptional, compassionate, and patient-centered care by a mobile collaborative team to improve patient experience, improve quality outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs."

Polk, Hickory, Cedar, & St Clair County EMS Protocols is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.