Ch. 29 -Trauma to the Head, Neck, and Spine

The spine is made up of _______ vertebrae

33

You are treating a female patient who was not wearing a helmet and struck her head when she fell off her bike. In most EMTs systems, she would be taken to a trauma center if her Glasgow Coma Scale score was less than

8

If a responsive patient has the MOI for a spinal injury, the EMT should do all of the following

Keep patient still while asking him or her questions assess for equality of strength in the extremities assess for tingling in the extremities

You are treating a female patient who was assaulted with a knife and slashed in the throat. The patient went into cardiac arrest. What is the most likely cause

an air embolism

Before and after immobilization, the EMT should

assess CSMs

You are treating a male patient who was involved in a high speed collision. If the patient is up and walking you should

assess for a potential spinal injury

When assessing a suspected spine-injury patient, you note a reversal of the normal breathing pattern. This is likely a result of damage to the nerves that control the

rib cage

Statements about a rigid cervical collar

A collar of an incorrect size can hyperextend the neck Maintain manual stabilization when applying The collar should never obstruct the airway

You are assessing the patient in question 3, who was involved in a bar fight earlier this evening. It is now 4 AM and the family called the ambulance because he has been vomiting. You notice the bruise behind the ear. This called

Battle's sign

Correct steps for applying a short spine immobilization

Postion the device behind the patient secure the device to the patients torso evaluate torso fixation and pad behind the neck secure the patient head to the device

Which of the following would be least likely to cause a spine injury

a fall from tow times the patient's height

Skull or traumatic brain injury may result in

altered mental status

Which of the following is a late sign of skull or traumatic brain injury

bleeding from the nose

You suspect that your female patient may have traumatic brain injury after a blow to the head. Her S/S may include

blood or fluid flowing from the ears/nose

On your size-up of an automobile collision, you notice that both sides of the windshield have a spiderweb crack. It is wise to call for a backup ambulance because

both the driver and the passenger will require spinal injury treatment

Further assessment of the patient in question 3 reveals that he also has discoloration of the soft tissue under both eyes. This finding is called

raccoon eyes

If a patient is found on her back with arms extended above the head, this may indicate _____ spine injury

cervical

You are treating a male patient who has an injury to one of his spinal vertebrae. On the basis of frequency of injury, the injured vertebra is most likely one of the _______ vertebrae

cervical and lumbar

After performing the primary assessment and rapid trauma exam your next step is to

determine the patients priority

When the spine is excessively pulled, which commonly occurs during a hanging, this is called an _______ injury

distraction

You are assessing a 38-year old male who was stuck on the head with a beer bottle. When a patient has a scalp injury the EMT should:

expect profuse bleeding

Which of the following is generally NOT a sign of traumatic brain injury, except in infants

hypoperfusion

Your male patient who was involved in a motorcycle crash. You should consider keeping his helmet on the patient

if it has a snug fit that allows no head movement

If a stable male patient is found in a sitting position on the ground and is complaining about back pain the EMT should

immobilize with a short spine board or extrication vest

What is the significant of increased carbon dioxide in the injured brain

it causes brain swelling

All of the following are examples of cervical-spine injuries that can result from a diving accident except {excessive extension, compression, excessive flexion}

lateral bleeding

When treating the patient in the question before, one EMT on your crew should

maintain constant manual in-line immobilization until the patient is secured to a backboard

Your treating a female patient who was involved in a car crash. You decided to use the rapid extrication technique, which is typically used when

moving a patient rapidly from an unsafe scene more seriously injured patients must be accessed moving a high priority patient

The patient does not complain of any spinal pain. It is important to remember that a lack of spinal pain does not rule out the possibility of spinal-cord injury because

other painful injuries may mask it

You are treating a female patient who was found at the bottom of a stairway in a pool of blood. Her face has multiple fractures, her nose is broken, and her jaw may be fracture. The primary concern for emergency care of facial fracture or jaw injury is the

patients airway

The Function of the spinal column is to

protect the spinal cord

When immobilizing a younger child on a long backboard:

provide padding under shoulder blades

You are treating a male patient construction worker who has a steel rod penetrating the skull. You should

stabilize the object with bulky dressings

You are assessing a make who you suspect has a spine injury. If he complains of pain when you attempt to place his head in a neutral in-line position you should

steady the head in the position found

You male patient fell down the stairs and may have injured his spine. Example of findings would be

the presence of a priapism the loss of bladder control nerve impairment to the extremity

You are treating a patient who fell backward and his his head. You suspect ICP. the time it takes to develop symptoms from an increased ICP depend on

the rate of bleeding in the head the location of the bleeding the age of the patient