ATLS Pre Module MCQ UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
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) Aortogram
C) Chest CT
D) ABG
E) TOE - CORRECT ANSWER -A
A construction worker falls two stories from a building and sustains bilateral calcaneal fractures.
In the emergency department, he is alert, vital signs are normal, and he is complaining of severe
pain in both heels and his lower back. Lower extremity pulses are strong and there is no other
deformity. The suspected diagnosis is most likely to be confirmed by:
A) Angiography
B) Compartment pressures
C) Retrograde urethrogram
D) Doppler ultrasound studies
E) Complete spine x-ray series - CORRECT ANSWER -E
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 - CORRECT
ANSWER -B
In managing a patient with a severe traumatic brain injury, the most important initial step is to:
A) Secure the airway
B) Obtain a c-spine film
C) Support the circulation
D) Control scalp hemorrhage
E) Determine the GCS score - CORRECT ANSWER -A
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. -
CORRECT ANSWER -D
The physiologic hypervolemia of pregnancy has clinical significance in the management of the
severely injured, gravid woman by:
A) Reducing the need for blood transfusion
B) Resulting in an elevated hematocrit
C) Complicating the management of closed head injury
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
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) Aortogram
C) Chest CT
D) ABG
E) TOE - CORRECT ANSWER -A
A construction worker falls two stories from a building and sustains bilateral calcaneal fractures.
In the emergency department, he is alert, vital signs are normal, and he is complaining of severe
pain in both heels and his lower back. Lower extremity pulses are strong and there is no other
deformity. The suspected diagnosis is most likely to be confirmed by:
A) Angiography
B) Compartment pressures
C) Retrograde urethrogram
D) Doppler ultrasound studies
E) Complete spine x-ray series - CORRECT ANSWER -E
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 - CORRECT
ANSWER -B
In managing a patient with a severe traumatic brain injury, the most important initial step is to:
A) Secure the airway
B) Obtain a c-spine film
C) Support the circulation
D) Control scalp hemorrhage
E) Determine the GCS score - CORRECT ANSWER -A
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. -
CORRECT ANSWER -D
The physiologic hypervolemia of pregnancy has clinical significance in the management of the
severely injured, gravid woman by:
A) Reducing the need for blood transfusion
B) Resulting in an elevated hematocrit
C) Complicating the management of closed head injury
