Trauma emergencies formative exam

Question 1

When the EMT is assessing compromise to an extremity, perhaps due to an orthopedic injury, the EMT should initially check what ‘six Ps’?

A. Pain. pallor, paresthesia, pulses, paralysis, and pressure
B. Pain, pallor, position, pulses, placement, and pad
C. Pain, pallor, position, pulses, placement, and pressure
D. Pain, pallor, paresthesia, pulses, placement, and pressure

Answer 1

A. Pain, pallor, paresthesia, pulses, paralysis, and pressure

Question 2

According to the rule of nines for infants and young children, the patient’s head and neck account for what percentage of the total body surface area?

A. 9%
B. 13.5%
C. 18%
D. 14%

Answer 2

C. 18%

Question 3

Which of the following is the MOST sensitive indicator or hypoperfusion?

A. Dilation of the pupils
B. Delayed capillary refill
C. Increased heart rate
D. Altered mental status

Answer 3

D. Altered mental status

Question 4

Which of the following patient’s is at greatest risk of respiratory failure and should be carefully monitored for ventilatory status throughout treatment and transport?

A. Flail chest
B. Abdominal evisceration
C. Tension pneumothorax
D. Hemopneumothorax

Answer 4

C. Tension pneumothorax

Question 5

Which portions of the spine are the most vulnerable to injury?

A. Thoracic and sacra
B. Thoracic and lumbar
C. Cervical and lumbar
D. Cervical and sacra

Answer 5

C. Cervical and lumbar

Question 6

Which of the following statements is incorrect regarding an electrical injury?

A. Treatment of a source burn is the same as for thermal burns
B. Injury is usually limited to the area around the source and ground burns
C. Patients with burns that appear insignificant are treated as having critical injuries
D. Patients with electrical burns may be treated with the automated external defibrillator (AED) and CPR

Answer 6

B. Injury is usually limited to the area around the source and ground burns

Question 7

When resuscitating a hypothermic patient in cardiac arrest, resuscitation attempts must continue until the patient has:

A. Been ventilated for at least 30 minutes with an oropharyngeal airway (OPA) in place
B. Developed rigor mortis
C. Been defibrillated a total of nine times
D. Been rewarmed

Answer 7

D. Been rewarmed

Question 8

Which of the following is the most significant mechanism of injury for a driver in a vehicle accident?

A. Rear end collision
B. Encroachment greater than 12 inches of the driver’s compartment
C. Death of a passenger in the same vehicle
D. Spidering of the windshield

Answer 8

C. Death of a passenger in the same vehicle

Question 9

You have responded to a local pool for a drowning patient. Lifeguards have pulled the patient out of the pool prior to your arrival. You find the 16-year-old patient unresponsive with agonal respirations and a weak carotid pulse. What is your first action?

A. Insert a combitube
B. Apply high-concentration oxygen by bag-valve mask.
C. Insert a oropharyngeal airway
D. Apply high concentration oxygen by nonrebreather mask

Answer 9

C. Insert an oropharyngeal airway

Question 10

Your patient is a 30-year-old female involved in a motorcycle crash. She was not wearing a helmet and struck her head on the pavement. She is unresponsive and has a blood pressure of 152/110 mmHg. Her pulse is 60 beats per minute and respirations are 8 breaths per minute and shallow. which of the following is an appropriate intervention?

A. Elevate the legs
B. Apply a pressure dressing to her scalp laceration
C. Hyperventilate at a rate of 24 breaths per minute using supplemental oxygen
D. Provide cervical spine immobilization

Answer 10

D. Provide cervical spine immobilization

Question 11

Your patient is a 12-year-old boy who ran his arm through a glass window and has an 8 inch laceration on his anterior forearm. you have applied a pressure dressing and bandage, but these have become saturated due to continued bleeding. Which of the following should you do now?

A. Remove the pressure dressing and bandage, apply direct pressure with your gloved hand, and elevate the arm.
B. Remove the pressure dressing and bandage, apply an ice pack to the wound, and bandage it in place with an elastic bandage.
C. Elevate the arm and prepare to apply a tourniquet or consider administering a hemostatic agent
D. Apply additional dressing material, bandage it in place, and apply pressure to the brachial artery.

Answer 11

C. Elevate the arm and prepare to apply a tourniquet or consider administering a hemostatic agent

Question 12

A burn extending into the subcutaneous fat would be classified as which type of burn?

A. Full thickness
B. Superficial
C. Superficial partial thickness
D. Deep partial thickness

Answer 12

A. Full thickness

Question 13

What is the height from which an adult fall would meet trauma triage criteria set forth by the CDC?

A. 25 feet
B. 20 feet
C. 10 feet
D. 15 feet

Answer 13

B. 20 feet

Question 14

Which of the following describes the proper application of an occlusive dressing for an open chest wound?

A. Trim the dressing so that it is the exact size of the wound
B. Use a porous material such as a 4” by 4” gauze pad
C. Tape the dressing securely on three sides
D. Tape the occlusive dressing on two sides only to create dual flaps for relief pressure build-up

Answer 14

C. Tape the dressing securely on three sides

Question 15

What is the most important intervention an EMT can perform for an unstable multisystem trauma patient?

A. Oxygen
B. Airway management
C. Cervical spine precautions
D. Rapid transport

Answer 15

D. Rapid transport

Question 16

Which of the following is a complication of bone fractures?

A. Hemorrhage
B. Nerve damage
C. Swelling
D. All of the above

Answer 16

D. All of the above

Question 17

The technique for central rewarming requires the application of heat to which of the following areas of the patient’s body?

A. Chest, back, neck, armpits
B. Head, neck, chest, and back
C. Lateral chest, neck, armpits, and groin
D. Head, neck chest, and groin

Answer 17

C. Lateral chest, neck, armpits, and groin

Question 18

Which of the following allows for smooth movement of bone surfaces against one another at joints?

A. Ligaments
B. Smooth muscle
C. Cartilage
D. Peritoneum

Answer 18

C. Cartilage

Question 19

Your patient is a 33 year old man who has a gunshot wound to his right leg and had active, steady, dark red bleeding. He is awake, pale, and diaphoretic. He has a strong radial pulse of 122/82 mmHg. He has no other injuries or complaints. Which of the following is the BEST sequence of steps in the management of this patient?

A. Direct pressure, high concentration oxygen, and splinting the leg
B. High concentration oxygen, elevation of the extremity, and application of ice
C. Cervical spine immobilization, high concentration oxygen, direct pressure, and pressure point compression
D. High concentration oxygen, tourniquet, PASG, and elevation of the extremity

Answer 19

A. Direct pressure, high concentration oxygen, and splinting the leg

Question 20

Why is it important to remove constricting items such as rings before thawing a frozen extremity?

A. To prevent damage to the property such as rings and watches
B. Because thawing leaves clots behind in the veins
C. Because thawed areas often swell
D. All of the above

Answer 20

C. Because thawed areas often swell

Question 21

Your patient is an 11-year-old male who has a swollen, painful, and angulated right lower arm after falling from his bicycle onto his hands. Which of the following should be considered in the immobilization of his injured extremity?

A. Do not attempt to realign the extremity before splinting
B. Use an upper extremity traction splint
C. Immobilize from the shoulder to the wrist
D. Check pulse, movement, and sensation distal to the injury before and after splinting

Answer 21

D. Check pulse, movement, and sensation distal to the injury before and after splinting

Question 22

You respond to a farm for a possible snake bite. You find a 36-year-old male patient seated against a tree. Bystanders state the patient was bitten on the arm by a rattlesnake and is “really sick”. As you approach, you notice that the patient appears in obvious distress, diaphoretic, and holding his right wrist. Which of the following is the highest priority?

A. Immediately apply a constricting band to minimize the spread of venom
B. Perform primary assessment and identify any potential life threats
C. Confirm the location and status of the snake
D. Confirm the type of snake and contact medical control for specific instructions

Answer 22

C. Confirm the location and status of the snake

Question 23

Which of the following injuries requires the use of an occlusive dressing?

A. Open wound to the abdomen from which a loop of intestine is protruding
B. Open wound to the neck
C. Open wound to the chest
D. All of the above

Answer 23

D. All of the above

Question 24

A suspected musculoskeletal injury of the shoulder is BEST managed by which of the following techniques?

A. Using an upper extremity traction splint
B. Placing the arm in a sling and using a triangular bandage to secure it to the body
C. Placing two long padded board splints on either side of the extremity, extending from the shoulder to the wrist
D. Using a long arm air splint

Answer 24

B. Placing the arm in a sling and using a triangular bandage to secure it to the body

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT the purpose of making airway management the highest priority of patient care when managing the patient in shock?

A. It allows for improved elimination of carbon dioxide
B. It minimizes the chances of aspiration of blood or vomit
C. It allows the bronchodilator of the smaller airways to be reversed
D. It allows for oxygenation of the lungs

Answer 25

C. It allows the bronchodilator of the smaller airways to be reversed

Question 26

You respond to the scene of a 14-year-old patient. He is unresponsive and hypothermic. Emergency medical responders have moved the patient inside and secured the airway prior to your arrival. What is your next action?

A. Vigorously rub the patient to increase the body temperature
B. Assess for signs of frostbite and treat immediately
C. Passively rewarm the patient
D. Actively rewarm the patient

Answer 26

C. Passively rewarm the patient

Question 27

A pillow is frequently used to splint an ankle or foot injury. It is effective, rapid, and can be used for most patients. Its main weakness is:

A. It is hard to access distal pulses after application
B. You are not immobilizing the knee and the joint adjacent to the ankle
C. You might not have a pillow on your ambulance
D. It requires three people to apply

Answer 27

B. You are not immobilizing the knee and the joint adjacent to the ankle

Question 28

Which of the following statements is NOT true concerning the proper transport of an avulsed ear?

A. It should be kept as cool as possible
B. It should be labeled with the patient’s name, as well as the date and time it was bagged
C. It should be in a dry sterile dressing
D. It should not be immersed in cooled water or saline

Answer 28

C. It should be in a dry sterile dressing

Question 29

To which of the following sections of the spine are the ribs attached?

A. Cervical
B. Thoracic
C. Lumbar
D. Sacral

Answer 29

B. Thoracic

Question 29

Which of the following is of concern with a puncture wound?

A. The object that remains impaled in the body
B. Hidden internal bleeding with minimal external bleeding
C. Strong possibility of contamination
D. All of the above

Answer 29

D. All of the above

Question 29

When using s short spine immobilization device, which part of the body is secured last?

A. Arms
B. Head
C. Torso
D. Legs

Answer 29

B. Head

Question 30

What type of trauma triage criteria regarding transport would a finger amputation receive?

A. Trauma center
B. Any hospital with surgical facilities
C. Patient’s choice of destination
D. Any hospital, as long as on-line medical direction approves the facilities capabilities

Answer 30

B. Any hospital with surgical facilities

Question 31

A teenage male has fallen onto a railing while skateboarding. He complains of right-sided chest pain and moderate dyspnea. exposure of the chest reveals a section of his ribs that is moving opposite of the rest of the ribs. you should:

A. Cover the wound with an occlusive dressing
B. Apply a bulky dressing over the section
C. Begin positive pressure ventilation
D. Roll the patient over onto his right side

Answer 31

B. Apply a bulky dressing over the section