Chapter 28
Following a head injury, a 20-year-old female opens her eyes spontaneously, is confused, and obeys your commands to move her extremities. You should assign her a GCS score of:
14
When placing a patient onto a long board, the EMT at the patient's _________ is in charge of all patient movements.
head
When immobilizing a child on a long backboard, you should:
place padding under the child's shoulders as needed
The cervical spine is composed of ____ vertebrae.
7
Which of the following statements regarding the cranium is correct?
80% of the cranium is occupied by brain tissue
Coordination of balance and body movement is controlled by the...
Cerebellum
Which of the following skull fractures would be the LEAST likely to present with palpable deformity or other outward signs?
Linear
Which of the following statements regarding cervical collars is correct?
a cervical collar is used in addition to, not instead of, manual immobilization
The body's functions that occur without conscious effort are regulated by the _____________ nervous system.
autonomic
When controlling bleeding from a scalp laceration with a suspected underlying skull fracture, you should...
avoid excessive pressure when applying the bandage
You are assessing a man who has a head injury and note the cerebrospinal fluid is leaking from his ear. You should recognize that this patient is at risk for...
bacterial meningitis
When assessing a conscious patient with an MOI that suggest spinal injury, you should...
determine if the strength in all extremities is equal
The MOST important immediate treatment for patients with a head injury, regardless of severity, is to...
establish an adequate airway
During your primary assessment of a semiconscious 30 year old female with closed head trauma, you note that she has slow, irregular breathing and a slow, bounding pulse. As your partner maintains manual in-line stabilization of her head, you should...
instruct him to assist her ventilations while you preform a rapid assessment
When opening the airway of a patient with a suspected spinal injury, you should use the...
jaw-thrust maneuver
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
When caring for a patient with a possible injury, it is MOST important to monitor the patient's...
level of consciousness
Lacerations to the scalp...
may be an indicator of deeper, more serious injuries
The _______ nervous system consists of 31 pairs of spinal nerves and 12 pairs of cranial nerves.
peripheral
A patient who cannot remember the events that preceded his or her head injury is experiencing:
retrograde amnesia
