EMS Chapter 24 Trauma Overview

Which of the following statements regarding low-energy penetrating injuries is correct?

The area of injury is usually close to the path the object took through the body.

If a patient has a penetrating injury to the neck that results in an open wound, what should the EMT do?

Use occlusive dressings.

Which of the following could be considered a secondary blast injury?

Injuries sustained when flying debris strikes the victim.

Which of the following is an example of a nonsignificant injury?

Injury to an isolated body part.

When a driver is in a car equipped with an air bag, but is not wearing a seatbelt, he or she will MOST likely strike the __________ when the air bag deploys upon impact.

Door

Evaluation of the interior of a crashed motor vehicle during extrication will allow the EMT to:

identify contact points and predict potential injuries.

How many categories of trauma are there?

2

The body has increasing difficulty in compensating for shock and traumatic injuries after how long?

60 minutes

During your assessment of a patient with a head injury, you note that he opens his eyes when you pinch his trapezius muscle, is mumbling, and has his arms curled in toward his chest. You should assign him a GCS score of:

7

Which of the following would cause blunt trauma?

A motor vehicle collision

Which of these reasons would be an appropriate use of emergency air medical services for trauma patients? Traffic conditions or hospital availability make it unlikely that the patient will get to trauma center via ground within ideal time frame. There is a mass casualty incident Distance to the trauma center is greater than 20 to 25 miles

All of these answers are correct

Which of the following would be considered a significant mechanism of injury? A car-versus-pedestrain accident greater than 15 mph Death of an occupant in the vehicle Motor vehicle collision greater than 40 mph or motorcycles crashes greater than 20 mph

All of these answers are correct.

Which of the following would be considered multi system trauma? Chest and multiple extremity trauma Head and spinal trauma Chest and abdominal trauma

All of these answers are correct.

Which of the following would MOST likely result from the third collision in the three-collision effect that occurs during a high-speed, frontal impact, motor vehicle collision?

Aortic rupture or compression injury to the brain

When caring for victims of traumatic injuries, what should an EMT do to avoid delays in treatment and transport?

Call for ALS and helicopter assistance early.

Which of the following occurs when a medium- or high-velocity object enters the body and creates rapid changes in tissue and fluid pressure that occur with the passage of the projectile?

Cavitation

A small compact car was involved in a rollover crash. As you are approaching the vehicle, you note that the roof is significantly collapsed. The patient, a 29-year-old male, is complaining of severe pain in his neck and to the top of his head as well as numbness and tingling in his extremities. Witnesses who removed the patient from the vehicle state that he was wearing his seatbelt. What injury mechanism is MOST likely responsible for this patient's condition?

Compression of the head against the roof

In the case of a motor vehicle crash, the energy of the speeding vehicle is converted into the work of stopping the vehicle, which is accomplished by:

Crushing the vehicle's exterior.

Which of the following mnemonics works BEST when assessing a trauma patient?

DCAP-BTLS

Which of the following is important to do when treating a patient with penetrating trauma?

Determine the length of the penetrating object.

All of the following are concepts of energy, EXCEPT:

Expressed energy

All of the following are criteria that can help identify a critically injured patient, EXCEPT:

Injuries to the head

Which of the following statements regarding the first collision that occurs during a motor vehicle crash is correct?

It is the most dramatic part of the collision and may make extrication difficult.

According to the Journal of safety research, which type of crash causes approximately 30% of all fatalities that occur in motor vehicle crashes?

Lateral

Which level of trauma center would fit the definition that includes "able to provide prompt assessment, resuscitation, and stabilization of injured patients and emergency operations"?

Level III

Kinetic energy is a calculation of:

Mass and velocity

Which of the following is NOT true regarding digital photos of a crash scene?

Photos can be shared over social media.

A patient is suffering from decreasing blood pressure, asymmetrical chest wall movement, and a narrow pulse pressure. You should have a high index of suspicion for which of the following conditions?

Pneumothorax or hemothorax

Which category of blast injuries includes mental health emergencies?

Quaternary

For the symptoms of noisy or labored breathing, decreasing or low GCS score, and a rapid, weak pulse, which of the following injuries would you expect?

Significant bleeding or foreign bodies in the upper or lower airway.

Which of the following might be the only sign of blunt trauma?

Skin discoloration

If a person is standing near a building that explodes, which of the following injuries would he or she MOST likely experience as a result of the pressure wave?

Stomach rupture

Which of the following injuries would NOT be a primary blast injury?

Suffocation

Why should on-scene time be limited to 10 minutes or less for trauma patients?

Surgical intervention is usually required

When assessing a patient who fell, you need to estimate all of the following, EXCEPT:

The speed at which the person hit the ground.

Which of the following injuries can be used to assist in triaging patients because they indicate risk of pressure injuries to the lungs?

Tympanic membrane injuries.

It is important to consider_____ as well as obvious injuries with any type of trauma.

Unseen

Which of the following patients has experienced the MOST significant fall?

a 4′6″ patient who fell 13 feet

When evaluating the mechanism of injury of a car-versus-pedestrian collision, you should first:

approximate the speed of the vehicle that struck the pedestrian.

When treating a patient who experienced a pulmonary blast injury, you should:

avoid giving oxygen under positive pressure.

While assessing a young male who was struck in the chest with a steel pipe, you note that his pulse is rapid and irregular. You should be MOST suspicious for:

bruising of the heart muscle.

Two of the MOST common mechanisms of injury for blunt trauma are:

falls and motor vehicle collisions.

In contrast to a Level III trauma center, a Level I trauma center must:

have general surgeons who are in-house 24 hours a day.

The energy of a moving object is called:

kinetic energy.

When assessing the interior of a crashed motor vehicle for damage, you are gathering information regarding the:

mechanism of injury.

A 30-year-old male sustained a stab wound to the neck when he was attacked outside a nightclub. During your assessment, you should be MOST alert for:

potential airway compromise.

Internal injuries caused by gunshot wounds are difficult to predict because:

the bullet may tumble or ricochet within the body.

Factors that should be considered when assessing a patient who has fallen include all of the following, EXCEPT:

the speed of the fall.

Passengers who are seated in the rear of a vehicle and are wearing only lap belts have a higher incidence of injuries to the _____________ spine during a rear-end crash.

thoracic and lumbar

The driver of a sport utility vehicle lost control and struck a utility pole head-on. The driver was killed instantly. The passenger, a young female, is conscious and alert and has several small abrasions and lacerations to her left forearm. Treatment for the passenger should include:

transport to a trauma center.