quiz 4

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

a rapid, thready pulse.

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.

You have sealed the open chest wound of a 40-year-old male who was stabbed in the anterior chest. Your reassessment reveals that he is experiencing increasing respiratory distress and tachycardia, and is developing cyanosis. You should:

Burp the dressing.

You are transporting a stable patient with a possible pneumothorax. The patient is receiving high-flow oxygen and has an oxygen saturation of 95%. During your reassessment, you find that the patient is now confused, hypotensive, and profusely diaphoretic. What is most likely causing this patient's deterioration?

Compression of the aorta and vena cava

Following a stab wound to the left anterior chest, a 25-year-old male presents with a decreased level of consciousness and signs of shock. Which of the following additional assessment findings should increase your index of suspicion for a cardiac tamponade?

Engorged jugular veins

Which of the following statements regarding a basilar skull fracture is correct?

The absence of raccoon eyes or Battle sign does not rule it out.

A 19-year-old male is unresponsive, apneic, and pulseless after being struck in the center of the chest with a softball. Based on the mechanism of injury, what most likely occurred?

Ventricular fibrillation when the impact occurred during a critical portion of the cardiac cycle

While jogging, a 19-year-old male experienced an acute onset of shortness of breath and pleuritic chest pain. He is conscious and alert with stable vital signs. Your assessment reveals that he has diminished breath sounds over the left side of the chest. You should:

administer oxygen and transport to the hospital.

A 37-year-old male was pinned between a flatbed truck and a loading dock. On exam, you find bruising to the chest, distended neck veins, bilaterally diminished breath sounds, and bilateral scleral hemorrhaging. You should:

aggressively manage his airway.

An unresponsive trauma patient has a large open abdominal wound with massive external bleeding. You should:

apply direct pressure to the wound.

When immobilizing a patient on a long backboard, you should:

ensure that you secure the torso before securing the head.

In the setting of a head injury, hypertension, bradycardia, and Biot respirations indicate:

herniation of the brain stem.

You are transporting a 42-year-old male who experienced blunt abdominal trauma. He is receiving oxygen at 12 L/min via a nonrebreathing mask, and full spinal precautions have been applied. During your reassessment, you note his level of consciousness has decreased and his respirations have become shallow. You should:

insert an airway adjunct if he will tolerate it and begin assisting his ventilations with a bag valve mask.

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

it interferes with your assessment of the airway.

You arrive at the scene of a major motor vehicle crash. The patient, a 50-year-old female, was removed from her vehicle prior to your arrival. Bystanders who removed her state that she was not wearing a seatbelt. The patient is unresponsive, tachycardic, and diaphoretic. Your assessment reveals bilaterally clear and equal breath sounds, a midline trachea, and collapsed jugular veins. You should be most suspicious that this patient has experienced a:

laceration of the aorta.

A high school football player was injured during a tackle and complains of neck and upper back pain. He is conscious and alert and is breathing without difficulty. The EMT should:

leave his helmet and shoulder pads in place.

A 28-year-old male was struck in the chest with a baseball bat during an altercation. He is conscious and alert and complains of severe chest pain. Your assessment reveals a large area of ecchymosis over the sternum and a rapid, irregular pulse. In addition to providing supplemental oxygen, you should:

prepare for immediate transport.

Following blunt trauma to the chest, an 18-year-old female presents with respiratory distress, shallow breathing, and cyanosis. Her blood pressure is 80/50 mm Hg and her pulse is 130 beats/min and thready. You should:

provide ventilation assistance with a bag valve mask.

Common signs of a skull fracture include all of the following, except:

superficial scalp lacerations.

If you do not have the appropriate-size cervical collar, you should:

use rolled towels to immobilize the patient's head.