ATLS Post Test Questions with Correct Answers
(Advanced trauma life support)
,Terms in this set (105)
1. Which of the following statements regarding patients with thoracic spine injuries is true?
Log rolling may be destabilizing to fractures from T12-L1
2. A 22-year-old male is assaulted in a bar. A semi-rigid, cervical collar supply, and he is
immobilized on a spine board. On initial exam, vital signs are normal, GCS is 15. Which of
the following is an indication for CT in this patient with possible minor traumatic brain
injury?
A. Blood alcohol concentration of 0.16%
B. Presence of an isolated 10 cm scalp laceration
C. Presence of a mandibular fracture
D. Presence of hemotympanum
E. History of assault
Presence of hemotympanum
3. A young man sustains a rifle wound to the mid-abdomen. He is brought promptly to the ED
by prehospital personnel. His skin is cool and diaphoretic, and his systolic blood pressure is
58mmHg. Warmed crystalloid fluids are initiated without improvement in his vital signs. The
next, most appropriate, step is to perform:
A. a laparotomy
B. An abdominal CT-scan
C. Diagnostic laparoscopy
D. Abdominal ultrasonography
E. A diagnostic peritoneal lavage
A. a laparotomy
unstable vitals + wound to mid-abdomen -> laparotomy
4. Which one of the following is the recommended method for initially treating frostbite?
A. Application of dry heat
B. Debridement of hemorrhagic blisters
C. Early amputation to prevent septic complications
D. Rapid rewarming of the body part in circulating warm water
E. Massage of the affected area
D. Rapid rewarming of the body part in circulating warm water
, 5. A 79-year-old female is involved in a motor vehicle crash and presents to the ED. She is on
Coumadin and a beta blocker. Which of the folowing statements is true concerning her
management?
A. The risk of subdural hemorrhage is decreased
B. Absence of tachycardia indicates that the patient is hemodynamically normal
C. Non-operative management of abdominal injuries is more likely to be successful in older
adults than in younger patients
D. Vigorous fluid resuscitation may be assocaited with cardiorespiratory failure
E. Epinephrine should be infused immediately for hypotension
D. Vigorous fluid resuscitation may be assocaited with cardiorespiratory failure
6. Young women sustains a severe head injury as the result of a motor vehicle crash. In the
emergency department her GCS is 6. Her BP is 140/90 mmHg and her HR is 80. She is
intubated and is being mechanically ventilated. Her pupils are 3 mm in size and equally
reactive to light. There is no other apparent injury. The more important principle to follow in
the early management of her head injury is to:
Prevent secondary brain injury
7. 30-year-old man is struck by a car traveling 35mph. He has obvious fractures of the left tibia
near the knee, pain in the pelvis area, and severe dyspnea. His HR is 180, RR 48 bpm with no
breath sounds heard in the left chest. A tension PTX is relieved by immediate needle
decompression and tube thoracostomy. Subsequently his HR decreased to 140, his RR
decreased to 36 bpm, and BP 80/50 mmHg. Warmed LR is administered intravenously. The
next priority should be to:
Perform external fixation of the pelvis
8. 8-year-old girl is an unrestrained passenger in a vehicle struck from behind. In the ED, her
blood pressure is 80/60, heart rate is 80 bpm, and respiratory rate is 16 breaths per minute.
Her GCS score is 14. She complains that her legs "feel funny and won't move right",
however, her spine x-rays do not show a fracture dislocation. A spinal injury in this child:
Can be excluded by obtaining a CT of the entire spine
(Advanced trauma life support)
,Terms in this set (105)
1. Which of the following statements regarding patients with thoracic spine injuries is true?
Log rolling may be destabilizing to fractures from T12-L1
2. A 22-year-old male is assaulted in a bar. A semi-rigid, cervical collar supply, and he is
immobilized on a spine board. On initial exam, vital signs are normal, GCS is 15. Which of
the following is an indication for CT in this patient with possible minor traumatic brain
injury?
A. Blood alcohol concentration of 0.16%
B. Presence of an isolated 10 cm scalp laceration
C. Presence of a mandibular fracture
D. Presence of hemotympanum
E. History of assault
Presence of hemotympanum
3. A young man sustains a rifle wound to the mid-abdomen. He is brought promptly to the ED
by prehospital personnel. His skin is cool and diaphoretic, and his systolic blood pressure is
58mmHg. Warmed crystalloid fluids are initiated without improvement in his vital signs. The
next, most appropriate, step is to perform:
A. a laparotomy
B. An abdominal CT-scan
C. Diagnostic laparoscopy
D. Abdominal ultrasonography
E. A diagnostic peritoneal lavage
A. a laparotomy
unstable vitals + wound to mid-abdomen -> laparotomy
4. Which one of the following is the recommended method for initially treating frostbite?
A. Application of dry heat
B. Debridement of hemorrhagic blisters
C. Early amputation to prevent septic complications
D. Rapid rewarming of the body part in circulating warm water
E. Massage of the affected area
D. Rapid rewarming of the body part in circulating warm water
, 5. A 79-year-old female is involved in a motor vehicle crash and presents to the ED. She is on
Coumadin and a beta blocker. Which of the folowing statements is true concerning her
management?
A. The risk of subdural hemorrhage is decreased
B. Absence of tachycardia indicates that the patient is hemodynamically normal
C. Non-operative management of abdominal injuries is more likely to be successful in older
adults than in younger patients
D. Vigorous fluid resuscitation may be assocaited with cardiorespiratory failure
E. Epinephrine should be infused immediately for hypotension
D. Vigorous fluid resuscitation may be assocaited with cardiorespiratory failure
6. Young women sustains a severe head injury as the result of a motor vehicle crash. In the
emergency department her GCS is 6. Her BP is 140/90 mmHg and her HR is 80. She is
intubated and is being mechanically ventilated. Her pupils are 3 mm in size and equally
reactive to light. There is no other apparent injury. The more important principle to follow in
the early management of her head injury is to:
Prevent secondary brain injury
7. 30-year-old man is struck by a car traveling 35mph. He has obvious fractures of the left tibia
near the knee, pain in the pelvis area, and severe dyspnea. His HR is 180, RR 48 bpm with no
breath sounds heard in the left chest. A tension PTX is relieved by immediate needle
decompression and tube thoracostomy. Subsequently his HR decreased to 140, his RR
decreased to 36 bpm, and BP 80/50 mmHg. Warmed LR is administered intravenously. The
next priority should be to:
Perform external fixation of the pelvis
8. 8-year-old girl is an unrestrained passenger in a vehicle struck from behind. In the ED, her
blood pressure is 80/60, heart rate is 80 bpm, and respiratory rate is 16 breaths per minute.
Her GCS score is 14. She complains that her legs "feel funny and won't move right",
however, her spine x-rays do not show a fracture dislocation. A spinal injury in this child:
Can be excluded by obtaining a CT of the entire spine
