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Guide: MCI triage

By Rom Duckworth, BS, LP

Keep patients moving toward definitive treatment through accurate triage of life threats
with the following tips.

Dead (black triage tape or tag). Patients with injuries incompatible with life or without
spontaneous respirations. (e.g., adult patient not breathing after opening airway; child
not breathing after opening airway and giving 2 breaths). Patients tagged Dead do not
move forward from the point of injury to the casualty collection point.

Immediate (red triage tape or tag). Patients with severe injuries, but high potential for
survival with treatment (e.g., tension pneumothorax). A "no" answer to any of these
questions and a field provider judgement that the patient is likely to survive given the
available resources:

• Does the patient have a peripheral pulse?

• Is the patient not in respiratory distress?
• Is hemorrhage controlled?
• Does the patient follow commands or make purposeful movements?

Immediate patients move forward to the casualty collection point first.

Expectant (gray triage tape or tag). A "no" response to any of the questions about
pulse, breathing, hemorrhage and mental status, but the patient is unlikely to survive
given the available resources (e.g., head injury with exposed brain matter, carotid artery
hemorrhage, burns to 90% of the total body surface area). These patients should
receive treatment only after the Immediate patients have been moved forward.

Delayed (yellow triage tape or tag). Patients with serious injuries, that will require
eventual forward movement to definitive treatment, but not immediate forward
movement and care (e.g., long bone fracture). A "yes" response to all of these, but the
injuries are still significant:

• Does the patient have a peripheral pulse?

• Is the patient not in respiratory distress?
• Is hemorrhage controlled?
• Does the patient follow commands or make purposeful movements?

Minimal (green triage tap or tag). “Yes” to all of the same questions about pulse,
breathing, hemorrhage and mental status, but the injuries are minor (e.g., minor
abrasions and lacerations). Minimal patients who have not self-evacuated are the last to
move forward and may help move other patients forward to treatment and transport.

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