Title: Primary secondary and tertiary survey | Deranged Physiology
Headings: Primary secondary and tertiary survey
Definitions
Primary survey
Airway
Breathing
Circulation
Disability
Exposure
The value of the digital rectal exam
Adjuncts to the primary survey:
Bloods:
Imaging
Monitoring
Secondary survey
Traumatic diaphragmatic rupture
Tertiary survey
References

Content: In that specific study, the tertiatry survey consisted of a second complete head to toe examination as well as a review of all imaging, within 24 hours of admission. Key features: A standardised sequence of examination should be followed, so that the examination from the secondary survey can be reproduced and referred to (eg. " were those testes always black? let's see what they found at the secondary survery")
The patients in whom this is of greatest importance are patients with a decreased level of consciousness (who cannot report the pain of a lacerated tendon in the index finger on their dominant hand, or something equally disabling in the long term)
Ideally, a person who is not familiar with the patient should be involved gotther with a person who is familair, so as to guard against complacency of the repeat examiner. Previous chapter: Primary secondary and tertiary survey
Next chapter: Causes of shock in the trauma patient
References
Grossman, Michael D., and Christopher Born. " Tertiary survey of the trauma patient in the intensive care unit." Surgical Clinics of North America 80.3 (2000):