A Spill at Parsenn Bowl by Elaine S. Chapman

Part II – The Emergency Room

Paramedic and Ski Patrol member Mondo brought Elaine into the emergency room and began to examine her. He quickly removed her ski boots, checked the dorsalis pedis pulse, and told her to take off her parka; an assistant brought blankets and hot chocolate. At that time Elaine was not experiencing intense pain, but she was shivering uncontrollably. The pain was relatively localized to the medial surface of her right knee, and the knee was already considerably swollen. He indicated that there was probably damage to a ligament or two. Elaine was then moved to the Mile-High Clinic for further evaluation.

Questions

  1. Why was Elaine instructed to remove her parka?

  2. Why was she shivering?

  3. Why was the knee swollen?

  4. Where would the dorsalis pedis pulse be taken? Why?

  5. How do the bones that comprise the knee joint fit together?

  6. What structures are associated with the medial surface of the knee?

Go to Part III – The Mile-High Clinic

Originally published at http://www.sciencecases.org/knee_injury/case2.asp

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