EMT chapter 32

In order from top to bottom, how many vertebrae are in each section of the spinal column?

7, 12, 5, 5, 4

What desired minimal pulse oximeter reading does the EMT want to maintain in a patient with a spinal cord injury?

94% or more

Telling a trauma patient to "flex your arms" tests motor function at:

C6

After sustaining a fall from a roof, your patient presents with an inability to move his arms, but he can still move his legs just fine. What type of partial cord injury is this?

Central cord syndrome

The first seven vertebrae are referred to as the:

Cervical spine

The vertebrae are divided into five areas. From top to bottom, these areas are:

Cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal

The medical director for EMS is providing a presentation regarding stabilizing spinal cord injuries. Which information should be included to prevent further trauma to the spinal cord?

Focus on spinal motion restriction techniques

The EMT is caring for a patient who sustained a spinal cord injury in a motor vehicle collision. Which assessment finding would indicate a spinal cord versus a spinal column injury?

Bilateral motor/sensory loss

Which of the following should be done when applying spine motion restrictions to the ambulatory patient?

Bring the stretcher to the patient

After an injury to the spinal cord a patient has differing effects on each side of the body. This is known as:

Brown-Sequard syndrome

A 24 year old male patient fell from a roof. He denies neck or back pain. Which of the following would indicate the need for spine motion restriction?

Open femur fracture

A neurological deficit is an indicator of which injury?

Spinal cord injury

What is a temporary concussion-like insult to the spinal cord that causes effects below the level of the injury?

Spinal shock

The application of spine motion restriction usually requires securing the patient to a:

Stretcher

What is NOT considered to be an indication for providing rapid extrication to a patient who was involved in an MVC?

Suspected high-impact collision speed

When immobilizing infants and children, it is important to remember:

That if an automobile collision involves a child in a car seat, you cannot use that car seat to stabilize the child for transport

Which of the following was the original thought behind spinal immobilization?

The backboard would protect against any further injury

When should the EMT remove the helmet of an injured patient?

The helmet interferes with your ability to assess the airway

As a backup unit on a multiple-car collision, you are assigned to care for an infant who is still in his car seat, locked into the backseat of the car. As you prepare this patient for transport, which statement is MOST accurate?

The infant should be removed from the car seat and immobilized to a backboard

Until recently, the indication to provide spinal immobilization was solely based on:

The mechanism of injury

What is the MOST accurate statement about the ability of a patient to breathe when she has suffered a spinal cord injury?

The patient may be able to breathe adequately or inadequately or may not be able to breathe at all

Which patient should be rapidly extricated from a car after an MCV?

The patient who is unresponsive

A 47 year old male patient has been involved in motor vehicle collision. He denies symptoms and has no signs of spinal injury. In which of the following situations would spine motion restriction be required?

Altered mental status

Injury to the sensory and motor tracts located in the anterior portion of the spinal cord is called:

Anterior cord syndrome

What is the MOST common cause of spinal injury?

Automobile accidents

A 22 year old woman dove into the shallow end of the pool and injured her neck. Which of the following spinal injuries is most likely?

Compression

Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding spine motion restriction (SMR)?

Decisions to utilize SMR should be based on the assessment

Which choice best describes what the underlying pathophysiology is in a patient with spinal shock?

Dilation of the blood vessels resulting in reduction of perfusion to tissues

A patient is ambulatory after a motor vehicle collision. Spinal tenderness is noted during the assessment. After placing a cervical collar, you should next:

Direct the patient to sit on the stretcher

Which form of spinal injury is most common in hangings?

Distraction

Which injury that may result in spinal cord damage would you be most likely to encounter while treating a teenager who attempted to hang himself in his garage?

Distraction injury to the cervical spine

All of the following would indicate the need of spinal motion restrictions for a trauma patient, EXCEPT:

Glasgow Coma Scale (GSC) is 15

Spine motion restriction may not be indicated in which of the following?

Glasgow Coma Scale of 15

The EMT arrives at a call for a patient who sustained injuries after being ejected from a motorcycle. Which assessment finding indicates the need for spine motion restriction?

Glasgow coma scale score of 7

Assuming no evidence of spinal injury, a patient who has suffered which of the following should not be immobilized on a backboard?

Gunshot wound to the neck

Conflicting or confusing signs of spinal cord injury are typically the result of:

Incomplete cord injury

You determine that an ambulatory patient requires spine motion restriction. You should first:

Instruct the patient to maintain self-restriction

How many vertebrae form the cervical spine?

Seven

The vertebrae that combine to form the lower back are called the:

Lumbar spine

When performing spine motion restriction, the patient should be:

Made comfortable

Which presentation would MOST likely be consistent with a patient possibly having a spinal injury?

Male patient found lying unresponsive under a tree

Which of these assessments must be done BEFORE the others?

Mental status

A 32 year old male patient has a penetrating injury to the neck. The assessment reveals no indication of spinal injury. You shoul:

Not place the patient on a backboard

What has studying the historical approach to spinal immobilization revealed?

Numerous patients without spinal injury were immobilized

You are assessing distal pulses on a trauma patient. Which pulse should be assessed in the lower extremity?

Pedal

An involuntary erection of the penis, caused by a spinal cord injury, is called:

Priapism

The EMS crew has decided that an unresponsive patient who was involved in an MCV needs to be rapidly extricated. What should the EMS providers do first?

Provide manual in-line stabilization of the head

A trauma patient is unable to push down with his feet. This may indicate damage in the area of:

S1

Choosing to apply full spinal immobilization on a patient with a significant MOI but no sign of spinal column injury will not protect the patient from:

SCIWORA

Which of the following tools is NOT recommended for removing the face mask from a football helmet?

Screwdriver (pruning shears, FM extractor, and PVC pipe cutter are all acceptable)

You are in the process of applying spine motion restriction to a patient who was ambulatory upon your arrival. After the patient lies down on the stretcher, you should:

Secure the patient to the stretcher

The steps in immobilizing a supine patient to a long backboard include:

Securing the patients torso to the board before securing the head

There are some situations in which you may move the patient with a suspected spinal injury before immobilizing him to a long or short spinal device. These situations include when:

The scene is not safe

A spinal column injury typically and primarily damages which of the following (but as a result may also damage one or more of the other three)?

The vertebrae

It is more common for spine injuries to cause paralysis:

To all four extremities (quadriplegia) or to only the lower body and legs (paraplegia)

Which type of alternative to a long backboard may be used for spine motion restriction?

Vacuum mattress