UMEM Educational Pearls

NEXUS criteria for blunt chest trauma patients who are over 14 years old, not intubated:

  • >60 years old

  • rapid deceleration defined as fall > 6 meters or motor vehicle crash >64 km/hour

  • chest pain

  • intoxication

  • abnormal alertness or mental status

  • distracting painful injury

  • tenderness to chest wall palpation

    If abnormal chest X-Ray proceed to chest CT.  Negative predictive value of 99.9% excluding major injury.

References