Emergency 3 Flashcards
Describe the first step in managing a trauma patient.
Secure the airway.
What should be done if a trauma patient with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of less than 8 is encountered?
Intubation.
When should intubation be considered for a trauma patient with head and neck trauma developing hoarseness of voice?
Immediately.
What action is recommended for a patient with burns on the face in terms of airway management?
Intubation.
In a trauma patient with soot in the airway, what is the next step in management?
Intubation.
If intubation fails in various trauma scenarios, what is the subsequent step?
Cricothyroidotomy.
Where is a tracheostomy typically performed for trauma patients?
In the operating room.
What should be suspected in a patient with severe head and neck injury?
Cervical neck injury.
How should the airway be maintained in a patient with suspected cervical neck injury?
Endotracheal tube (ETT).
What is the first indicator of hypovolemia?
Change in pulse.
What is the initial step in managing hypovolemia in a trauma patient?
Establishing an IV line and administering normal saline.
What is the second step in managing hypovolemia after establishing an IV line and giving normal saline?
Transfusing packed red blood cells after cross-matching.
What is the correct sequence for managing hypovolemia in a trauma patient: IV line, saline, cross-matching, packed red blood cells?
IV line, saline, cross-matching, packed red blood cells.
What does a change in blood pressure in a trauma patient indicate regarding volume loss?
At least 20-25% of intravascular volume.
What is the likely diagnosis in a trauma patient with hypotension, congested neck veins, and distant heart sounds?
Cardiac tamponade.
What is the typical X-ray finding in a patient with cardiac tamponade?
Enlarged cardiac shadow.
What is the immediate treatment for cardiac tamponade?
Emergent pericardiocentesis.
What is the diagnosis in a trauma patient presenting with dyspnea, absent breath sounds, hyperresonance in one lung, and tracheal deviation to the opposite side?
Tension pneumothorax.
What is the first-line management for tension pneumothorax?
Needle thoracotomy.
What are two incorrect answers for the first-line treatment of tension pneumothorax?
Oxygen and tube thoracotomy.
In a patient with chest trauma and a wide mediastinum on chest X-ray, what is the likely diagnosis?
Aortic rupture.
How should aortic rupture be managed in a patient with chest trauma?
Emergent surgery.
What is the initial step in managing a patient with rib fractures, severe pain, and difficulty breathing?
Administer IV morphine.
What is the likely diagnosis in a patient with chest trauma, paradoxical movement of a segment of the thoracic wall, and multiple contiguous fractured ribs on X-ray?
Flail chest.