EMT Chapter28

Anterograde amnesia

(posttraumatic amnesia) the inability to remember events that occurred or will occur after the injury

A patient with a head injury presents with abnormal flexion of his extremities. What numeric value should you assign to him for motor response?

3

A 44 year old man was struck in the back of the head and was reportedly unconscious for approximately 30 seconds. He complains of a severe headache and seeing stars and states that he regained his memory shortly before your arrival. His presentation is MOST consistent with a

Concussion

Which of the following statements regarding secondary brain injury is correct?

Hypoxia and hypotension are the two most common causes of secondary brain injury.

Which of the following breathing patterns is MOST indicative of increased intracranial pressure?

Irregular rate, pattern, and volume of breathing with intermittent periods of apnea

What part of the nervous system controls the body's voluntary activities?

Somatic

An indicator of an expanding intracranial hematoma or rapidly progressing brain swelling is:

a rapid deterioration of neurologic signs.

Common signs and symptoms of a serious head injury include all of the following, EXCEPT:

a rapid, thready pulse

intracerebral hemorrhage

associated with a more prolonged loss of consciousness; is bleeding within the brain itself

A man jumped from the roof of his house and landed on his feet. He complains of pain to his heels, knees, and lower back. This mechanism of injury is an example of:

axial loading

As you are assessing a 24 year old man with a large laceration to the top of his head, you should recall that

blood loss from a scalp laceration may contribute to hypovolemic shock in adults

The central nervous system (CNS) is composed of the:

brain and spinal cord

The five sections of the spinal column, in descending order, are the:

cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal

A patient who experienced an immediate loss of consciousness followed by a lucid interval has an

epidural hematoma

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is used to assess:

eye opening, verbal response, and motor response

A distraction injury to the cervical spine would MOST likely occur following:

hanging type mechanisms

Hyperextension injuries of the spine are MOST commonly the result of:

hangings

In contrast to a cerebral concussion, a cerebral contusion:

involves physical injury to the brain tissue.

Once a cervical collar has been applied to a patient with a possible spinal injury, it should not be removed unless:

it causes a problem managing the airway.

A tight-fitting motorcycle helmet should be left in place unless:

it interferes with your assessment of the airway.

Your patient is a 21 year old male who has massive face and head trauma after being assaulted. He is lying supine, is semiconscious, and has blood in his mouth. You should:

manual stabilize his head, log roll him to his side, and suction his mouth

A man is found slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious and making snoring sounds, after an automobile accident. His head is turned to the side and his neck is flexed. You should:

manually stabilize his head and move it to a neutral in line position

When activated, the sympathetic nervous system produces all of the following effects, EXCEPT:

pupillary constriction.

A young male was involved in a motor vehicle accident and experienced a close head injury. He has no memory of the events leading up to the accident but remembers that he was going to a birthday party. What is the correct term to use when documenting his memory loss?

retrograde amnesia

When assessing a patient with a head injury, you note the presence of thin, bloody fluid draining from his right ear. This indicates:

rupture of the tympanic membrane following diffuse impact to the head

You should be MOST suspicious that a patient has experienced a significant head injury if his or her pulse is:

slow

During your primary assessment of a 19-year-old unconscious male who experienced severe head trauma, you note that his respirations are rapid, irregular, and shallow. He has bloody secretions draining from his mouth and nose. You should:

suction his oropharynx for up to 15 seconds.

Subdural hematoma

tend to bleed slowly and usually cause a progressive decline in the level of consciousness, accumulation of blood beneath the dura mater

You should NOT remove an injured football players helmet if:

the face guard can easily be removed and there is no airway compromise

The ideal procedure for moving an injured patient from the ground to a backboard is:

the four-person log roll

When immobilizing a trauma patient's spine, the EMT manually stabilizing the head should not let go until:

the patient has been completely secured to the backboard

concussion

when brain tissue is damaged and the patient presents with prolonged confusion, may cause a loss of consciousness but it is typically brief

Cerebral contusion

when tissue is bruised and damaged in a local area. may result in prolonged confusion