TNCC 9th Edition Exam Preparation:
300 Practice Questions with Verified
Answers and Rationales
1.What does the "A" represent in the primary survey and what is the
critical concurrent intervention?
• Answer: Airway and Alertness with simultaneous cervical spinal
stabilization
2. What does the "B" represent in the primary survey?
• Answer: Breathing and Ventilation
3. What does the "C" represent in the primary survey?
• Answer: Circulation and Control of Hemorrhage
4. What does the "D" represent in the primary survey?
• Answer: Disability (neurologic status assessment)
5. What does the "E" represent in the primary survey?
• Answer: Exposure and Environmental control
6. Which letters denote the resuscitation adjuncts in the systematic
assessment?
• Answer: F-G
7. Which letters denote the secondary survey components?
• Answer: H-I
8. List the 6 steps of the initial assessment in order.
• Answer:
1. Preparation and triage
2. Primary survey with resuscitation adjuncts
, 3. Reevaluation
4. Secondary survey with reevaluation adjuncts
5. Reevaluation and post-resuscitation care
6. Definitive care or transfer
9. What alteration to ABC exists and when is it identified?
• Answer: "C" (circulation) prioritized before airway and breathing—
signifies catastrophic hemorrhage, identified during the across-
the-room assessment
10. What does the general impression step in the initial assessment
provide the opportunity to do?
• Answer: Reprioritize circulation before airway or breathing
Airway Assessment and Management
11. What do you inspect for in the airway assessment?
• Answer: Tongue obstruction, loose or missing teeth, foreign
objects, blood, vomit, secretions, edema, or evidence of burn
12. What is listened for during airway assessment?
• Answer: Obstructive airway sounds such as snoring, gurgling, or
stridor
13. What is palpated during airway assessment?
• Answer: Occlusive maxillofacial bony deformity and subcutaneous
emphysema
14. What are two examples of airway adjuncts?
• Answer: Nasopharyngeal airway and oropharyngeal airway
15. When is a nasopharyngeal airway indicated versus an
oropharyngeal airway?
, • Answer: Nasopharyngeal if the patient is conscious; oropharyngeal
if the patient has no gag reflex
16. What are the three indications for a definitive airway?
• Answer:
1. Failure to maintain or protect the airway
2. Failure to maintain oxygenation or ventilation
3. A specific anticipated clinical course
17. What is a definitive airway?
• Answer: A tracheal tube securely placed in the trachea with the
cuff inflated
18. What GCS score necessitates a definitive airway?
• Answer: 8 or less
19. How can you ascertain if an advanced airway is properly placed?
• Answer:
1. Rise and fall of chest
2. Absence of gurgling on auscultation over epigastrium
3. Bilateral breath sounds
4. CO2 detection
20. What is the best position for maintaining an open airway in the
obese patient?
• Answer: Reverse Trendelenburg
21. What does the "U" in AVPU represent and what must occur if
this is the case?
• Answer: Unresponsive—announce loudly and direct someone to
check for pulses while assessing if the cause is the airway
22. What is the "V" in AVPU and what intervention may it indicate?
, • Answer: Responds to verbal stimuli—an airway adjunct may be
needed to keep the tongue from obstructing the airway
23. What is the "P" in AVPU and what intervention may it indicate?
• Answer: Responds to pain—patient may not be able to maintain
airway and adjunct may be needed
Breathing and Ventilation
24. What is inspected during breathing assessment?
• Answer: Spontaneous breaths, symmetrical chest rise and fall,
depth pattern and rate, signs of difficulty, skin color, open
pneumothoraces, JVD, singed nasal hairs
25. What life-threatening pulmonary injuries require immediate
intervention?
• Answer: Open pneumothorax, tension pneumothorax, flail chest,
hemothorax
26. What is the correct rate for compressing a bag-mask device for
an adult?
• Answer: One breath every 6 seconds
27. What oxygen delivery does a bag-mask device provide?
• Answer: 100% oxygen
28. What are the target SpO2 and etCO2 values for effective
ventilation?
• Answer: SpO2 94% or higher; etCO2 35-45 mmHg
300 Practice Questions with Verified
Answers and Rationales
1.What does the "A" represent in the primary survey and what is the
critical concurrent intervention?
• Answer: Airway and Alertness with simultaneous cervical spinal
stabilization
2. What does the "B" represent in the primary survey?
• Answer: Breathing and Ventilation
3. What does the "C" represent in the primary survey?
• Answer: Circulation and Control of Hemorrhage
4. What does the "D" represent in the primary survey?
• Answer: Disability (neurologic status assessment)
5. What does the "E" represent in the primary survey?
• Answer: Exposure and Environmental control
6. Which letters denote the resuscitation adjuncts in the systematic
assessment?
• Answer: F-G
7. Which letters denote the secondary survey components?
• Answer: H-I
8. List the 6 steps of the initial assessment in order.
• Answer:
1. Preparation and triage
2. Primary survey with resuscitation adjuncts
, 3. Reevaluation
4. Secondary survey with reevaluation adjuncts
5. Reevaluation and post-resuscitation care
6. Definitive care or transfer
9. What alteration to ABC exists and when is it identified?
• Answer: "C" (circulation) prioritized before airway and breathing—
signifies catastrophic hemorrhage, identified during the across-
the-room assessment
10. What does the general impression step in the initial assessment
provide the opportunity to do?
• Answer: Reprioritize circulation before airway or breathing
Airway Assessment and Management
11. What do you inspect for in the airway assessment?
• Answer: Tongue obstruction, loose or missing teeth, foreign
objects, blood, vomit, secretions, edema, or evidence of burn
12. What is listened for during airway assessment?
• Answer: Obstructive airway sounds such as snoring, gurgling, or
stridor
13. What is palpated during airway assessment?
• Answer: Occlusive maxillofacial bony deformity and subcutaneous
emphysema
14. What are two examples of airway adjuncts?
• Answer: Nasopharyngeal airway and oropharyngeal airway
15. When is a nasopharyngeal airway indicated versus an
oropharyngeal airway?
, • Answer: Nasopharyngeal if the patient is conscious; oropharyngeal
if the patient has no gag reflex
16. What are the three indications for a definitive airway?
• Answer:
1. Failure to maintain or protect the airway
2. Failure to maintain oxygenation or ventilation
3. A specific anticipated clinical course
17. What is a definitive airway?
• Answer: A tracheal tube securely placed in the trachea with the
cuff inflated
18. What GCS score necessitates a definitive airway?
• Answer: 8 or less
19. How can you ascertain if an advanced airway is properly placed?
• Answer:
1. Rise and fall of chest
2. Absence of gurgling on auscultation over epigastrium
3. Bilateral breath sounds
4. CO2 detection
20. What is the best position for maintaining an open airway in the
obese patient?
• Answer: Reverse Trendelenburg
21. What does the "U" in AVPU represent and what must occur if
this is the case?
• Answer: Unresponsive—announce loudly and direct someone to
check for pulses while assessing if the cause is the airway
22. What is the "V" in AVPU and what intervention may it indicate?
, • Answer: Responds to verbal stimuli—an airway adjunct may be
needed to keep the tongue from obstructing the airway
23. What is the "P" in AVPU and what intervention may it indicate?
• Answer: Responds to pain—patient may not be able to maintain
airway and adjunct may be needed
Breathing and Ventilation
24. What is inspected during breathing assessment?
• Answer: Spontaneous breaths, symmetrical chest rise and fall,
depth pattern and rate, signs of difficulty, skin color, open
pneumothoraces, JVD, singed nasal hairs
25. What life-threatening pulmonary injuries require immediate
intervention?
• Answer: Open pneumothorax, tension pneumothorax, flail chest,
hemothorax
26. What is the correct rate for compressing a bag-mask device for
an adult?
• Answer: One breath every 6 seconds
27. What oxygen delivery does a bag-mask device provide?
• Answer: 100% oxygen
28. What are the target SpO2 and etCO2 values for effective
ventilation?
• Answer: SpO2 94% or higher; etCO2 35-45 mmHg
