ATLS 10th Edition Triage Answers
for Appendix F: Triage
Scenarios;PATIENT A-F Latest
Update with Complete Solution
Course
ATLS 10th
1. Patient A is a young man screaming that his leg is severely painful. What is the most
appropriate initial triage interpretation?
A. Immediate airway emergency
B. Potentially significant extremity injury requiring further assessment
C. Immediate cardiac arrest
D. Confirmed internal hemorrhage
Answer: B. Potentially significant extremity injury requiring further assessment.
Rationale: Severe extremity pain requires assessment, but a patient who is conscious and
communicating without an identified airway or breathing emergency generally receives a lower
initial priority than a patient with airway or breathing compromise.
2. Patient B is cyanotic, tachypneic, and breathing noisily. Which problem should receive
the highest priority?
A. Extremity fracture
B. Abdominal tenderness
C. Airway and breathing compromise
D. Pain control
Answer: C. Airway and breathing compromise.
Rationale: Cyanosis, tachypnea, and noisy respirations strongly suggest an immediately
threatened airway or severe respiratory problem.
3. Patient C is lying in a pool of blood with the left pant leg soaked. What is the major
immediate concern?
A. Isolated pain
B. External hemorrhage
C. Mild dehydration
D. Psychological distress
Answer: B. External hemorrhage.
,Rationale: A blood-soaked garment and pool of blood indicate potentially severe external
hemorrhage requiring rapid bleeding control.
4. Patient D is lying facedown and is not moving. What should be considered immediately?
A. The patient definitely has an isolated extremity injury
B. Possible airway, breathing, cervical-spine, or neurologic emergency
C. The patient can safely wait
D. Only pain assessment is required
Answer: B. Possible airway, breathing, cervical-spine, or neurologic emergency.
Rationale: An unresponsive or apparently motionless trauma patient requires rapid assessment
for airway obstruction, breathing problems, severe neurologic injury, and associated spinal
injury.
5. Patient E is shouting and threatening to call a lawyer. Assuming no obvious life-
threatening injury is identified, this patient is most likely:
A. A patient requiring immediate airway intervention
B. A lower-priority patient compared with those with ABC compromise
C. In cardiac arrest
D. Automatically classified as deceased
Answer: B. A lower-priority patient compared with those with ABC compromise.
Rationale: A conscious, agitated patient who is maintaining airway and breathing generally does
not outrank patients with obvious life-threatening airway, breathing, or hemorrhagic problems.
6. Patient F is a teenage girl crying while holding her abdomen. What should the triage
team consider?
A. Possible abdominal injury or internal hemorrhage
B. No injury because she is crying
C. Only a psychiatric condition
D. Immediate discharge
Answer: A. Possible abdominal injury or internal hemorrhage.
Rationale: Abdominal pain after trauma can represent significant internal injury even when
external bleeding is absent.
7. In the original six-patient scenario, which patient is generally considered the highest
priority based on obvious airway compromise?
A. Patient A
B. Patient B
, C. Patient E
D. Patient F
Answer: B. Patient B.
Rationale: Patient B has cyanosis, tachypnea, and noisy breathing, indicating a potentially
compromised airway and respiratory status. The published Appendix F answer discussion
identifies Patient B as a highest-priority patient.
8. Which patient may also reasonably be considered a first-priority patient because of a
potentially major airway problem?
A. Patient A
B. Patient B
C. Patient D
D. Patient E
Answer: C. Patient D.
Rationale: The ATLS discussion notes that Patients B and D may be interchanged as priorities 1
and 2 depending on the clinical interpretation and rationale, particularly because D may have a
major airway problem.
9. Why might Patient C rank below Patients B and D in the initial triage?
A. Patient C has no injury
B. Patient C has a potentially serious hemorrhage but the airway/breathing problems in B and D
are more immediately threatening
C. External hemorrhage is never treated during triage
D. Patient C is automatically discharged
Answer: B. Patient C has a potentially serious hemorrhage but the airway/breathing
problems in B and D are more immediately threatening.
Rationale: Triage prioritizes immediately life-threatening problems. Airway and breathing
compromise generally require extremely rapid intervention.
10. Which general principle best explains why triage priorities can change?
A. Triage is based only on age
B. Triage priorities depend on current findings, available resources, and changing patient
conditions
C. Triage never changes after the first assessment
D. Triage is based solely on who arrived first
Answer: B. Triage priorities depend on current findings, available resources, and changing
patient conditions.
for Appendix F: Triage
Scenarios;PATIENT A-F Latest
Update with Complete Solution
Course
ATLS 10th
1. Patient A is a young man screaming that his leg is severely painful. What is the most
appropriate initial triage interpretation?
A. Immediate airway emergency
B. Potentially significant extremity injury requiring further assessment
C. Immediate cardiac arrest
D. Confirmed internal hemorrhage
Answer: B. Potentially significant extremity injury requiring further assessment.
Rationale: Severe extremity pain requires assessment, but a patient who is conscious and
communicating without an identified airway or breathing emergency generally receives a lower
initial priority than a patient with airway or breathing compromise.
2. Patient B is cyanotic, tachypneic, and breathing noisily. Which problem should receive
the highest priority?
A. Extremity fracture
B. Abdominal tenderness
C. Airway and breathing compromise
D. Pain control
Answer: C. Airway and breathing compromise.
Rationale: Cyanosis, tachypnea, and noisy respirations strongly suggest an immediately
threatened airway or severe respiratory problem.
3. Patient C is lying in a pool of blood with the left pant leg soaked. What is the major
immediate concern?
A. Isolated pain
B. External hemorrhage
C. Mild dehydration
D. Psychological distress
Answer: B. External hemorrhage.
,Rationale: A blood-soaked garment and pool of blood indicate potentially severe external
hemorrhage requiring rapid bleeding control.
4. Patient D is lying facedown and is not moving. What should be considered immediately?
A. The patient definitely has an isolated extremity injury
B. Possible airway, breathing, cervical-spine, or neurologic emergency
C. The patient can safely wait
D. Only pain assessment is required
Answer: B. Possible airway, breathing, cervical-spine, or neurologic emergency.
Rationale: An unresponsive or apparently motionless trauma patient requires rapid assessment
for airway obstruction, breathing problems, severe neurologic injury, and associated spinal
injury.
5. Patient E is shouting and threatening to call a lawyer. Assuming no obvious life-
threatening injury is identified, this patient is most likely:
A. A patient requiring immediate airway intervention
B. A lower-priority patient compared with those with ABC compromise
C. In cardiac arrest
D. Automatically classified as deceased
Answer: B. A lower-priority patient compared with those with ABC compromise.
Rationale: A conscious, agitated patient who is maintaining airway and breathing generally does
not outrank patients with obvious life-threatening airway, breathing, or hemorrhagic problems.
6. Patient F is a teenage girl crying while holding her abdomen. What should the triage
team consider?
A. Possible abdominal injury or internal hemorrhage
B. No injury because she is crying
C. Only a psychiatric condition
D. Immediate discharge
Answer: A. Possible abdominal injury or internal hemorrhage.
Rationale: Abdominal pain after trauma can represent significant internal injury even when
external bleeding is absent.
7. In the original six-patient scenario, which patient is generally considered the highest
priority based on obvious airway compromise?
A. Patient A
B. Patient B
, C. Patient E
D. Patient F
Answer: B. Patient B.
Rationale: Patient B has cyanosis, tachypnea, and noisy breathing, indicating a potentially
compromised airway and respiratory status. The published Appendix F answer discussion
identifies Patient B as a highest-priority patient.
8. Which patient may also reasonably be considered a first-priority patient because of a
potentially major airway problem?
A. Patient A
B. Patient B
C. Patient D
D. Patient E
Answer: C. Patient D.
Rationale: The ATLS discussion notes that Patients B and D may be interchanged as priorities 1
and 2 depending on the clinical interpretation and rationale, particularly because D may have a
major airway problem.
9. Why might Patient C rank below Patients B and D in the initial triage?
A. Patient C has no injury
B. Patient C has a potentially serious hemorrhage but the airway/breathing problems in B and D
are more immediately threatening
C. External hemorrhage is never treated during triage
D. Patient C is automatically discharged
Answer: B. Patient C has a potentially serious hemorrhage but the airway/breathing
problems in B and D are more immediately threatening.
Rationale: Triage prioritizes immediately life-threatening problems. Airway and breathing
compromise generally require extremely rapid intervention.
10. Which general principle best explains why triage priorities can change?
A. Triage is based only on age
B. Triage priorities depend on current findings, available resources, and changing patient
conditions
C. Triage never changes after the first assessment
D. Triage is based solely on who arrived first
Answer: B. Triage priorities depend on current findings, available resources, and changing
patient conditions.
