After establishing hemodynamic stability with your motor vehicle collision patient, you considered the potential for masking serious injuries with analgesia but realized that appropriate pain control has not been shown to contribute to missing serious injuries in this context. After a dose of IV fentanyl, her heart rate normalized and her pain improved, but she still had tenderness with palpation of the left upper quadrant. A CT scan showed a grade II splenic laceration but no other emergent pathology. You consulted a trauma surgeon, who agreed with your plan for admission for observation and pain control.
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Last Updated on January 26, 2023
