ABPTS ECS key terms

A rapid sorting process that assigns priority for care or transport based on the severity of injury or illness, available resources, and the likelihood of benefit from intervention.

A simple mass-casualty sorting method using respirations, perfusion, and mental status to place casualties into immediate, delayed, minor, or deceased categories within seconds per patient.

An event in which the number and severity of casualties exceeds the immediately available resources, requiring altered standards of care, triage, and outside assistance.

The ability of a health system to expand resources, staff, space, and supplies beyond normal operating levels to manage a sudden increase in patient volume.

A written document that defines roles, responsibilities, communication pathways, and procedures an organization follows to respond to and recover from disasters and other emergencies.

A standardized, scalable management structure that organizes personnel, facilities, and communications under defined roles so multiple agencies can coordinate during an emergency response.

An incident management arrangement in which agencies with shared jurisdiction or responsibility jointly set objectives and coordinate operations through a single integrated command structure.

A prewritten, venue-specific protocol describing how staff recognize an emergency, activate help, retrieve equipment, provide initial care, and transition the athlete to emergency medical services.

A portable device that analyzes cardiac rhythm and delivers a shock to terminate a shockable rhythm such as ventricular fibrillation, with voice and visual prompts guiding the rescuer.

An abrupt loss of effective heart pumping that stops blood flow to the brain and other organs, causing unconsciousness and requiring immediate CPR and defibrillation to prevent death.

Rhythmic chest compressions, with or without rescue breaths, that manually circulate oxygenated blood when the heart has stopped, buying time until defibrillation or advanced care is available.

Compressions delivered at an adequate rate and depth with full chest recoil, minimal interruptions, and avoidance of excessive ventilation, all of which improve the chance of survival.

A spectrum of conditions caused by sudden reduction of blood flow to heart muscle, including unstable angina and myocardial infarction, often signaled by chest pressure, dyspnea, or diaphoresis.

Death of heart muscle resulting from prolonged inadequate blood supply, typically from coronary artery occlusion, producing chest pain and characteristic electrocardiographic and biomarker changes.

A recording of the heart's electrical activity from twelve viewpoints that helps identify ischemia, infarction, arrhythmias, and conduction abnormalities and guides urgent treatment decisions.

A life-threatening condition of extreme core temperature elevation with central nervous system dysfunction during physical activity, requiring immediate cooling and emergency transport.

A spectrum of heat-related conditions ranging from muscle cramps and heat syncope to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, caused by exercise in hot environments with inadequate cooling.

The rapid placement of a heat-stroke patient in an ice-water bath to lower core temperature quickly, the preferred cooling method when equipment and supervision are available.

Unexpected death from a cardiovascular cause during or shortly after exertion, most often related to unrecognized structural or electrical heart disease in young athletes.

A structured screening history and examination performed before sports participation to detect conditions that could increase the risk of injury or sudden death.

A traumatic brain injury from impulsive forces causing temporary neurologic dysfunction, with symptoms such as headache, confusion, dizziness, and imbalance, and no abnormality on standard imaging.

A standardized sideline and clinical checklist that guides symptom rating, cognitive and balance testing, and serial re-evaluation after a suspected concussion.

Rapid, often fatal brain swelling that can occur when a person sustains a second head impact before recovering from an earlier concussion, a key reason for strict return-to-play rules.

Manual stabilization and external support of the neck after suspected spine trauma to prevent movement and further neurologic injury during assessment, transfer, and transport.

Techniques and devices, such as a rigid collar or vacuum mattress, used selectively to limit spinal movement in trauma patients while avoiding unnecessary harm from over-immobilization.

Dangerously increased pressure within a closed tissue compartment that compromises blood flow and nerve function, causing severe pain, tenseness, and risk of permanent muscle and nerve loss.

Repeated checks of pulse, skin color and temperature, capillary refill, sensation, and motor function distal to an injury to detect compromised circulation or nerve function.

Splinting or otherwise stabilizing a suspected broken bone in the position found, including joints above and below, to reduce pain, bleeding, and further tissue damage during transport.

A severe, rapidly developing allergic reaction involving airway, breathing, or circulation, treated first with intramuscular epinephrine and immediate activation of emergency medical services.

A prefilled device that delivers a fixed intramuscular dose of epinephrine, the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, into the outer thigh.

Assessment and intervention to keep the passage from mouth to lungs open and protected, using positioning, suction, airway adjuncts, or advanced techniques as needed.

A manual technique using a self-inflating bag and mask to deliver breaths to a patient who is not breathing adequately, requiring a tight seal and careful rate and volume control.

The coordinated system of responders, vehicles, and receiving facilities that provides prehospital assessment, treatment, and transport for acutely ill or injured patients.

A patient's voluntary agreement to evaluation or treatment after receiving understandable information about the proposed care, its risks and benefits, and reasonable alternatives.

Legal assumption that an unconscious or otherwise incapacitated person would agree to necessary emergency care that a reasonable person would want to prevent serious harm.

The range of duties, skills, and decisions a clinician is legally and professionally authorized to perform based on licensure, training, and governing regulations.

The level and type of care that a reasonably prudent clinician with similar training would provide in similar circumstances, used to judge whether care was appropriate.

A structured judgment that an injured or ill athlete has recovered sufficiently to resume sport safely, based on clinical evaluation, staged progression, and applicable guidelines.

Clinical decision-making that integrates the best available research evidence, clinician expertise, and patient values and circumstances rather than relying on tradition alone.

A hierarchy that ranks study designs by their susceptibility to bias, from systematic reviews and randomized trials down to case reports and expert opinion.

Systematic evaluation of a study's validity, results, and applicability to decide whether and how its findings should influence clinical practice.