low speed while crossing an intersection ,” Smida said . “ The EMTs perform a rapid trauma assessment and acquire an initial set of vital signs , including blood pressure and heart rate . One of the EMTs asks the patient if he can give a thumbs up , and he does . From this basic set of information , these EMTs would already be able to calculate the rSIM score . His systolic blood pressure is 90 mmHg . His heart rate is 118 beats per minute , and his ability to give a thumbs up indicates that he can follow commands , which corresponds to a score of six on the motor component of the Glasgow Coma Scale . A few taps on a phone calculator , dividing blood pressure by heart rate and then multiplying by the motor GCS , yields an rSIM score of 4.6 .”
Smida explained that it ’ s important to select the proper level of care because otherwise patients can be either over triaged or under triaged without access to facilities and health care providers to give life-saving treatment .
Results were able to accurately predict a patient ’ s chance of survival , along with the need for blood transfusion , intensive care unit admission , or surgery , Smida noted .
Bonasso said the study will also help hospitals prepare for receiving patients at certain trauma levels .
Emergency personnel would then call WVU Medical Command and provide information on the accident and rSIM score .
“ In the future , using the data from our paper , that physician may be able to reference the optimal rSIM threshold that predicts the need for specialized trauma center care for the patient ’ s age group ,” Smida said . “ In this scenario , we can imagine that the optimal threshold value is five . Because the patient ’ s calculated rSIM value is below that threshold at 4.6 , the physician decides the patient needs to be seen at the specialized pediatric center due to a high probability of serious injury .”
Images : Left to right : Tanner Smida , Dr . Patrick Bonasso , Dr . James Bardes , Brad Price
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West Virginia Medical Journal • March 2025 • 27