Trauma / Head and Spine Injuries

Question 1

The energy of a moving object is called?

Answer 1

Kinetic energy
(901)

Question 2

What are three collisions of a motor vehicle crash

Answer 2

1. Collision of a car against another car or object
2. Collision of the passenger against the interior of the car
3. Collision of the passenger’s internal organs against the solid structures of the body

Question 3

Why is it important to understand the relationship between the three types of collisions and how they aid with patient assessment?

Answer 3

They help to create an index of suspicion for the severity of the trauma and to give proper treatment

Question 4

Give an example of the second collision of a motor vehicle crash

Answer 4

Knee to dashboard
(905)

Question 5

The text lists four significant mechanisms of injury. List two of these MOI’s

Answer 5

1. Fall from height
2. Motor vehicle and motorcycle crashes
3. Car versus pedestrian
4. Gunshot wounds and stabbings

(904)

Question 6

What three factors should be taken into account when evaluating a patient who fell off a ladder?

Answer 6

1. Height of fall
2. Surface they fell on
3. Part of the body they hit first

(913)

Question 7

If the velocity of a bullet is doubled, the energy that is available to cause damage is:

Answer 7

Quadrupled

(915)

Question 8

A victim of an explosion is thrown into a wall from the force of the blast. Which of the blast mechanisms would be the cause of the injury?

Answer 8

Tertiary

(917)

Question 8

Trauma centers are classified into how many different levels?

Answer 8

4 levels

(923)

Question 8

When should SAMPLE history and the secondary assessment be performed, when caring for a critical trauma patient?

Answer 8

On the ambulance

Question 9

If the weight of an object is doubled, the energy that is available to cause damage is:

Answer 9

Doubled

(915)

Question 10

What is the highest possible GCS score?

Answer 10

15

(926)

Question 11

What is blunt trauma?

Answer 11

Objects that cause injury without penetrating the skin

(930)

Question 12

What government position did both Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton hold? Who was the first woman to hold that office?

Answer 12

Secretary of State

Madeleine Albright

Question 13

The protective coverings of the brain and spinal cord, in descending order, are:

Answer 13

1. Dura mater
2. Arachnoid
3. Pia mater

(1042)

Question 14

The blood vessels that nourish the brian and spinal cord are located where?

Answer 14

Subarachnoid Space

(1042)

Question 15

Explain how the nervous system responds to an irritating stimulus, such as touching a heated surface.

Answer 15

A sensory nerve detects the stimulus and sends a direct message to the motor nerve to pull away from the heat

(1043)

Question 16

Which two bones of the skull are most susceptible to depressed skull fractures?

Answer 16

1. Temporal
2. Parietal

(1044-45)

Question 17

You are assessing a patient who was assaulted in a bar fight. You notice ecchymosis around the eyes and over the right mastoid process. What are these two signs called and what type of head injury are the most associated with?

Answer 17

1. Raccoon eyes
2. Battle Signs

Deformed head with a visible crack in the skull

(1047)

Question 18

List two examples of primary brain injury?

Answer 18

1. Cerebral edema
2. Contusion
3. Concussion

(1049-51)

Question 19

An epidural hematoma is most accurately defined as bleeding outside the _____ and under the _____.

Answer 19

1. Dura Mater
2. Skull

Question 20

What is a subdural hematoma and how is it caused? (Do not say head trauma)

Answer 20

1. Accumulation of blood beneath the dura mater but outside the brain
2. Occurs after falls or injuries involving strong deceleration forces

(1050)

Question 21

You are assessing a 35 year-old patient who was struck by a car, you note a contusion on the forehead, and they are unable to tell what happened. This type of memory loss is called:

What is your working diagnosis?

Answer 21

1. Retrograde amnesia
2. Concussion

(1051)

Question 22

What is the primary difference between a concussion of the brain and a contusion of the brain?

Answer 22

Concussion: Temporary loss or alteration of part or all of the brain’s abilities to function without physical damages

Contusion: Physical injury to the brain tissue; long-lasting and potentially permanent damage

(1051)

Question 23

List three secondary brain injuries that significantly increase the death and disability of a TBI patient.

Answer 23

1. Hypoxia
2. Hypotension
3. Hypothermia

(1048)

Question 24

The text states the key to managing patients with spinal injuries and airway and breathing problems is:

Answer 24

Move their head and spine as little as possible

Question 25

The most important step in treating patients with a head injury, regardless of the severity, is:

Answer 25

Maintaining adequate airway and breathing

Question 26

When using the Glasgow Coma Scale to assess the eye-opening of a patient, what are the responses that correlate with each number?

Answer 26

1. Spontaneous - 4
2. In response to sound - 3
3. In response to pressure - 2
4. None - 1

(1058)

Question 27

You are assessing a patient who fell off a skateboard while riding down a steep hill. Friends stated that the patient lost consciousness after a fall. The patient regained consciousness for a brief period but is currently unconscious. Your assessment reveals unequal pupils, a HR of 40, a BP of 1554/86, and a RR of 36 and irregular. During your assessment, the patient’s body suddenly stiffens. Briefly explain what is causing the findings of your assessment.

What is your treatment for the patient in the above scenario:”

Answer 27

1. Epidural Hematoma: Accumulation of blood between the skull and the dura mater
   
   • Arterial bleeding into the epidural space results in rapidly progressing symptoms
2. Manage vitals. No treatment. Rapid transport to a trauma center

Question 28

You respond to a residence where you find a 19-year-old patient lying unresponsive on the couch. The roommate tells you that the patient was involved in a vehicle accident yesterday but refused to go to the hospital. The patient has no previous medical history and takes no medications. During the secondary assessment, you note unequal pupils. What is your working diagnosis? What is your treatment>

Answer 28

1. Subdural Hematoma: Accumulation of blood beneath the dura mater but outside the brain
2. Manage vitals. No treatment. Rapid transport to a trauma center