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