Trauma knowledge 3

Paralysis of the extremities would MOST likely result from injury to the:

• cerebellum.

• diencephalon.

• cerebral cortex.

• hypothalamus.

A flail chest is characterized by:

• bulging of fractured ribs during inspiration.

• excessive negative intrathoracic pressure.

• a free-floating segment of fractured ribs.

• drawing in of fractured ribs during expiration.

Pneumothorax is MOST accurately defined as:

• air or gas within the pleural cavity.

• perforation of a lung by a broken rib.

• injury to the visceral or parietal pleura.

• partial or complete collapse of a lung.

Traumatic injuries to the aorta are MOST commonly the result of:

• rear-end collisions.

• shearing forces.

• penetrating trauma.

• motorcycle crashes.

A 16-year-old boy collapsed after being struck in the center of the chest by a line drive during a high school baseball game. Your assessment reveals that he is pulseless and apneic. As your partner initiates one-rescuer CPR, your MOST important action should be to:

• perform intubation to secure the patient's airway.

• rapidly assess the chest for signs of a sternal fracture.

• attach the ECG leads and be prepared to defibrillate.

• start an IV line and administer an antiarrhythmic drug.

Unlike a tension pneumothorax, a massive hemothorax would MOST likely present with:

• signs of shock.

• tracheal deviation.

• collapsed jugular veins.

• severe respiratory distress.

You are dispatched to a residence for an injured person. The scene has been secured by law enforcement. The patient, a young female, tells you that her boyfriend kicked her in the chest yesterday during an argument. Your assessment reveals that the patient is in significant pain, is dyspneic, has a strong pulse rate of 98 beats/min, and has an area of ecchymosis over her left lower rib cage. Auscultation to the left side of her chest reveals coarse crackles. Which of the following treatment interventions is likely NOT indicated for this patient?

• Cardiac monitoring

• Titrated IV analgesics

• End-tidal CO2 monitoring

• IV fluid boluses

You should be MOST suspicious that your patient has a pericardial tamponade if he or she presents with hypotension, jugular vein distention, and:

• loud heart tones.

• normal lung sounds.

• respiratory distress.

• a bounding pulse.

Which of the following thoracic injuries would you LEAST likely discover in the primary survey?

• Flail chest

• Myocardial contusion

• Bronchial disruption

• Open pneumothorax

Intraabdominal bleeding may produce few signs and symptoms of trauma because:

• the intraabdominal cavity can accommodate large amounts of blood.

• blood in the peritoneum can compress the aorta and maintain perfusion.

• it takes approximately 4 L of blood loss before signs of shock manifest.

• the abdominal musculature can sustain massive blunt force without bruising.