maxillofacial trauma

Question 1

what is the glasgow coma scale used for

Answer 1

used to assess level of consciousness in a patient

Question 2

signs of a midface fracture (3)

Answer 2

• nose bleed (epistaxis)
• subconjunctival bleed (turns whites of eye red)
• midface mobility
• diplopia (double vision)

Question 3

what are the four steps in an ATLS assessment

Answer 3

airways and c-spine
breathing
circulation and hamorrhage control
disability

Question 4

primary vs secondary trauma

Answer 4

primary - direct trauma to airway
secondary - trauma to area surrounding airway that puts it at risk

Question 5

what should you do if a patient presents with a midface fracture

Answer 5

• call OMFS
• advise patient no nose blowing
• advise to fast if indicated by maxfax or have a soft diet

Question 6

what are the 3 le fort fractures

Answer 6

1 - maxilla only
2 - maxilla and nasal, medial orbit, ethmoid
3 - maxilla, nasal, orbit, zygoma - full midface involvement

hold forehead steady and see what portion of midface moves

Question 7

stridor vs wheeze

Answer 7

stridor - cant get air in , airway blocked
wheeze - cant get air out

Question 8

laceration vs incised wound

Answer 8

laceration - blunt force applied to soft tissues
incised - sharp trauma e.g knife

Question 9

aetiology of oral and oropharyngeal cancers

Answer 9

mouth - inflammation and local carcinogens (smoking, alcohol, paan)
oropharyngeal - as above + HPV

Question 10

name 3 criteria that wound mandate an urgent referral for suspicion of HN cancer

Answer 10

• persistent unexplained head and neck lumps for >3 weeks
• unexplained red or mixed red and white patches of oral mucosa for >3 weeks
• unexplained ulceration or swelling/induration of oral mucosa persisting for > 3weeks

Question 11

what is TMN system used for

Answer 11

staging cancer

Question 12

what does x mean in TMN system e.g Tx

Answer 12

cannot be assessed