ATLS MAIN TEST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

A 22-year-old man is hypotensive and tachycardic after a shotgun wound to the left shoulder. His blood pressure is initially 80/40 mm Hg. After initial fluid resuscitation his blood pressure increases to 122/84 mm Hg. His heart rate is now 100 beats per minute and his respiratory rate is 28 breaths per minute. A tube thoracostomy is performed for decreased left chest breath sounds with the return of a small amount of blood and no air leak. After chest tube insertion, the most appropriate next step is: a. reexamine the chest b. perform an aortogram c. obtain a CT scan of the chest d. obtain arterial blood gas analyses e. perform transesophageal echocardiography Which of the following is true regarding the initial resuscitation of a trauma patient? a. A patient that presents with a torso gunshot wound and is hypotensive should receive crystalloid fluid resuscitation until the blood pressure is normal b. Evidence of improved perfusion after fluid resuscitation could include improvement in Glasgow coma scale score on reevaluation c. Massive transfusion is defined as transfusion of more than >10 of packed red blood cells and plasma in 24 hours d. When tranexamic acid is administered by pre-hospital providers a second dose is required within 24 hours e. Fluid resuscitation is far more important than bleeding control in trauma patients In managing a patient with a severe traumatic brain injury, the most important initial step a. Secure the airway b. obtain a c-spine film c. support the circulation d. control scalp hemorrhage e. determine the GCS score Feedback A previously healthy, 70-kg (154-pound) man suffers an estimated acute blood loss of 2 liters. Which one of the following statements applies to this patient? a. His pulse pressure will be widened. b. His urinary output will be at the lower limits of normal. c. He will have tachycardia, but no change in his systolic blood pressure. d. An ABG would demonstrate a base deficit between -6 and -10 mEq/L e. His systolic blood pressure will be maintained with an elevated diastolic pressure. The physiologic hypervolemia of pregnancy has clinical significance in the management of the severely injured, gravid woman: a. reducing the need for blood transfusion b. resulting in an elevated hematocrit c. complicating the management of closed head injury d. reducing the volume of crystalloid required for resuscitation e. increasing the volume of blood loss to produce maternal hypotension The best assessment of fluid resuscitation of the adult burn patient is: a. Urine output of 0.5 mL/kg/hr b. normalization of blood pressure c. normalization of the heart rate d. measuring a normal central venous pressure e. providing 4 mL/kg/percent body burn/24 hours of crystalloid fluid The diagnosis of shock must include: a. hypoxemia b. acidosis c. hypotension d. increased vascular resistance e. evidence of inadequate organ perfusion A 7-year-old boy is brought to the emergency department by his parents several minutes after he fell through a window. He is bleeding profusely from a 6-cm wound of his medial right thigh. Immediate management of the wound should consist of: a. application of a tourniquet b. direct pressure on the wound c. packing the wound with gauze d. direct pressure on the femoral artery at the groin e. debridement of devitalized tissue For the patient with severe traumatic brain injury, profound hypocarbia should be avoided to prevent a. respiratory acidosis b. metabolic acidosis c. cerebral vasoconstriction with diminished perfusion d. neurogenic pulmonary edema e. shift of the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve correct After being involved in a motor vehicle crash, a 25-year-old man is brought to a hospital that has surgery capabilities available.. Computed tomography of the chest and abdomen shows an aortic injury and splenic laceration with free abdominal fluid. His blood pressure falls to 70 mm Hg after CT. The next step is: a. obtain contrast angiography b. transfer to a higher level trauma center c. perform an exploratory laparotomy d. infuse additional crystalloid fluids e. Obtain transesophageal echocardiography Which one of the following statements regarding abdominal trauma in the pregnant patient is TRUE? a. The fetus is in jeopardy only with major maternal abdominal trauma. b. Leakage of amniotic fluid is an indication for hospital admission. c. Indications for peritoneal lavage are different from those in the nonpregnant patient. d. With penetrating trauma, injury to the mother's abdominal hollow viscus is more common in late than in early pregnancy. e. The secondary survey follows a different pattern from that of the nonpregnant patient. The first maneuver to improve oxygenation after chest injury is to a. intubate the patient b. assess arterial blood gases c. administer supplemental oxygen d. ascertain the need for a chest tube e. obtain a chest x-ray A 25-year-old man, injured in a motor vehicular crash, is admitted to the emergency department. His pupils react sluggishly and his eyes open to pressure. He does not follow commands, but he does moan periodically. His right arm is deformed and does not respond to pressure; however, his left hand reaches purposefully toward the stimulus. Both legs are stiffly extended. His GCS score is a: 2 b: 4 c: 6 d: 9 e: 12 Which one of the following findings in an adult is most likely to require immediate management during the primary survey? a. distended abdomen b. Glasgow Coma Scale score of 11 c. temperature of 36.5°C (97.8°F) d. deformity of the right thigh e. respiratory rate of 40 breaths per minute 1.a or c 2.e 3. B ATLS continues to support the use of a 3-for-1 rule (3 mL of crystalloid should be used as replacement for every 1 mL of blood loss), but also encourages frequent reassessments if large amounts of crystalloid are not providing adequate resuscitation. ATLS also dictates treatment based on the class of hypovolemic shock. The initial resuscitation in adult trauma patients typically involves using crystalloid solutions to restore and maintain blood pressure within normal or acceptable ranges. The goal is to ensure adequate perfusion to vital organs while monitoring the patient's response to resuscitation. A 6-year-o boy is struck by an automobile and brought to the ED. He is lethargic, but withdraws purposefully from painful stimuli. His blood pressure is 90mmHg systolic, heart rate 140 beats per minute and his respiratory rate is 36 breaths per minute. The preferred route of venous access in this patient is: A. Percutaneous femoral vein cannulation B. Cutdown on the saphenous vein at the ankle C. Intraosseous catheter placement in the proximal tibia D. Percutaneous peripheral veins in the upper extremities E. Central venous access via the subclavian or internal jugular vein A young man sustains a gunshot wound to the abdomen and is brought promptly to the ED by prehospital personnel. His skin is cool and diaphoretic, and he is confused. His pulse is thready and his femoral pulse is only weakly palpable. The definitive treatment in managing this patient is to: A. Administer O-negative blood B. Apply external warming devices C. Control internal hemorrhage operatively D. Apply a pneumatic antishock garment (PASG) E. Infuse large volumes of intravenous crystalloid solutions. Regarding shock in the child, which of the following is FALSE? A. Vital signs are age-related B. Children have greater physiologic reserves than do adults C. Tachycardia is the primary physiologic response to hypovolemia D. The absolute volume of blood loss required to produce shock is the same as in adults E. An initial fluid bolus for resuscitation should approximate 20ml/kg Ringers Lactate A 33-year-old man is struck by a car travelling at 56km/h (35mph). He has obvious fractures of the left tibia near the knee, pain in the pelvic area, and severe dyspnea. His heart rate is 182 beats per minute, and his respiratory rate is 48 breaths per minute with no breath sounds heard in the left chest. A tension pneumothorax is relieved by immediate needle decompression and tube thoracostomy. Subsequently, his heart rate decreases to 144 beats per minute, his respirartory rate decreases to 36 breaths per minute and his blood pressure is 81/53 mmHg. Warmed Ringers lactate is adminstered intravenously. The next priority should be to: A. Perform external fixation of the pelvis B. Obtain abdominal and pelvic CT-scans C. Perform arterial embolization of the pelvic vessel D. Perform diagnostic peritoneal lavage or FAST E. Perform a urethrogram and cystogram A 42-year-old man, injured in a motor vehicle crash, suffers a closed head injury, multiple palpable left rib fractures, and bilateral femur fractures. He is intubated orotracheally without difficulty. Initially, his ventilations are Reasily assisted with a bag-mask device. It becomes more difficult to ventilate the patient over the next 5 minutes, and his hemoglobin oxygen saturation level decreases from 98% to 89%. The most appropriate next step is to: