PHTLS EMT - BLOCK 4 EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS #13
A 12-year-old male jumped approximately 12 feet from a tree and landed on his feet. He
complains of pain to his lower back. What injury mechanism is MOST likely responsible
for his back pain?
Select one:
A. Lateral impact to the spine
B. Secondary fall after the initial impact
C. Direct trauma to the spinal column
D. Energy transmission to the spine - correct answer D. Energy transmission to the
spine
A 15-year-old female was struck by a small car while riding her bicycle. She was
wearing a helmet and was thrown to the ground, striking her head. In addition to
managing problems associated with airway, breathing, and circulation, it is MOST
important for you to:
Select one:
A. Leave her bicycle helmet on.
B. Obtain baseline vital signs.
C. Stabilize her entire spine.
D. Inspect the helmet for cracks. - correct answer C. Stabilize her entire spine.
A young male sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen during an altercation. As
your partner is assessing and managing his airway, you should control the obvious
bleeding and then:
Select one:
A. Auscultate bowel sounds.
B. Assess for an exit wound.
C. Apply a cervical collar.
D. Obtain baseline vital signs. - correct answer B. Assess for an exit wound.
According to the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT), an
adult trauma patient should be transported to the highest level of trauma center if he or
she:
Select one:
A. Was involved in a motor vehicle crash in which another patient in the same vehicle
was killed.
B. Has a systolic blood pressure of less than 110 mm Hg or a heart rate greater than
110 beats/min.
C. Has a bleeding disorder or takes anticoagulant medications and has any blunt or
penetrating injury.
D. Has a GCS score of less than or equal to 13 with a mechanism attributed to trauma. -
correct answer D. Has a GCS score of less than or equal to 13 with a mechanism
attributed to trauma.
,According to the Association of Air Medical Services, you should consider air medical
transport of a trauma patient if:
Select one:
A. The patient requires advanced life support care and stabilization, and the nearest
ALS-ground ambulance is more than 5 to 10 minutes away.
B. Traffic conditions hamper the ability to get the patient to a trauma center by ground
within the ideal time frame for the best clinical outcome.
C. Ground transport will take your ambulance out of service for an extended period of
time, regardless of the severity of the patient's injuries.
D. He or she was involved in a motor vehicle crash in which another occupant in the
same vehicle was killed, even if your patient's injuries are minor. - correct answer B.
Traffic conditions hamper the ability to get the patient to a trauma center by ground
within the ideal time frame for the best clinical outcome.
Approximately 25% of severe injuries to the aorta occur during:
Select one:
A. Frontal collisions.
B. Rollover collisions.
C. Rear-end collisions.
D. Lateral collisions. - correct answer D. Lateral collisions.
Following a blunt injury to the head, a 22-year-old female is confused and complains of
a severe headache and nausea. On the basis of these signs and symptoms, you should
be MOST concerned with the possibility of:
Select one:
A. A fracture of the skull.
B. Airway compromise.
C. Intracranial bleeding.
D. Spinal cord injury. - correct answer C. Intracranial bleeding.
Force acting over a distance is the definition of:
Select one:
A. Work.
B. Latent energy.
C. Kinetic energy.
D. Potential energy. - correct answer A. Work.
The index of suspicion is MOST accurately defined as:
Select one:
A. The detection of less obvious life-threatening injuries.
B. A predictable pattern that leads to serious injuries.
C. Your awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying injuries.
D. The way in which traumatic injuries occur. - correct answer C. Your awareness and
concern for potentially serious underlying injuries.
,When assessing a patient who experienced a blast injury, it is important to remember
that:
Select one:
A. Solid organs usually rupture from the pressure wave.
B. Secondary blast injuries are usually the least obvious.
C. Primary blast injuries are the most easily overlooked.
D. Primary blast injuries are typically the most obvious. - correct answer C. Primary
blast injuries are the most easily overlooked.
When assessing an elderly patient who fell, it is important to remember that:
Select one:
A. Any fall in the elderly is considered to be high-energy trauma.
B. Osteoporosis can cause a fracture as a result of a fall from a standing position.
C. Bilateral hip fractures usually occur when an elderly person falls.
D. Elderly patients who fall usually have a secondary head injury. - correct answer B.
Osteoporosis can cause a fracture as a result of a fall from a standing position.
When the speed of a motor vehicle doubles, the amount of kinetic energy:
Select one:
A. Quadruples.
B. Is not affected.
C. Triples.
D. Doubles. - correct answer A. Quadruples.
Which of the following destinations is most appropriate for a 41-year-old male patient
who was involved in a rollover motor vehicle collision and is unconscious and
unresponsive, assuming that travel times to each is equal?
Select one:
A. A Level I or Level II trauma center
B. Only a Level I trauma center
C. A Level IV or Level III trauma center
D. Any designated trauma center is acceptable. - correct answer A. A Level I or Level II
trauma center
Which of the following findings would be LEAST suggestive of the presence of high-
energy trauma?
Select one:
A. Intrusion into the vehicle
B. Dismounted seats
C. Steering wheel deformity
D. Deployment of the air bag - correct answer D. Deployment of the air bag
Which of the following injuries would MOST likely occur as a direct result of the third
collision in a motor vehicle crash?
Select one:
A. Flail chest
, B. Forehead lacerations
C. Aortic rupture
D. Extremity fractures - correct answer C. Aortic rupture
Which of the following interventions is the MOST critical to the outcome of a patient with
multisystem trauma?
Select one:
A. Intravenous fluid administration
B. Early administration of oxygen
C. Rapid transport to a trauma center
D. Elevation of the lower extremities - correct answer C. Rapid transport to a trauma
center
Which of the following statements regarding gunshot wounds is correct?
Select one:
A. The size of a bullet has the greatest impact on the injury produced.
B. High-velocity bullets will cause less severe internal injuries.
C. The speed of a bullet has the greatest impact on the injury produced.
D. Low-velocity bullets will cause the greatest amount of trauma. - correct answer C.
The speed of a bullet has the greatest impact on the injury produced.
Which types of motor vehicle collisions present the greatest potential for multiple
impacts?
Select one:
A. Lateral and rollover
B. Frontal and rotational
C. Rotational and rollover
D. Rear-end and rotational - correct answer C. Rotational and rollover
While en route to a major motor vehicle crash, an on-scene police officer advises you
that a 6-year-old male who was riding in the front seat is involved. He further states that
the child was only wearing a lap belt and that the air bag deployed. On the basis of this
information, you should be MOST suspicious that the child has experienced:
Select one:
A. Lower extremity fractures.
B. Neck and facial injuries.
C. Blunt trauma to the head.
D. Open abdominal trauma. - correct answer B. Neck and facial injuries.
Your patient has a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13, a systolic blood pressure
of 80 mm Hg, and a respiratory rate of 8 breaths/min. His Revised Trauma Score (RTS)
is:
Select one:
A. 10.
B. 11.
C. 9.
A 12-year-old male jumped approximately 12 feet from a tree and landed on his feet. He
complains of pain to his lower back. What injury mechanism is MOST likely responsible
for his back pain?
Select one:
A. Lateral impact to the spine
B. Secondary fall after the initial impact
C. Direct trauma to the spinal column
D. Energy transmission to the spine - correct answer D. Energy transmission to the
spine
A 15-year-old female was struck by a small car while riding her bicycle. She was
wearing a helmet and was thrown to the ground, striking her head. In addition to
managing problems associated with airway, breathing, and circulation, it is MOST
important for you to:
Select one:
A. Leave her bicycle helmet on.
B. Obtain baseline vital signs.
C. Stabilize her entire spine.
D. Inspect the helmet for cracks. - correct answer C. Stabilize her entire spine.
A young male sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen during an altercation. As
your partner is assessing and managing his airway, you should control the obvious
bleeding and then:
Select one:
A. Auscultate bowel sounds.
B. Assess for an exit wound.
C. Apply a cervical collar.
D. Obtain baseline vital signs. - correct answer B. Assess for an exit wound.
According to the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT), an
adult trauma patient should be transported to the highest level of trauma center if he or
she:
Select one:
A. Was involved in a motor vehicle crash in which another patient in the same vehicle
was killed.
B. Has a systolic blood pressure of less than 110 mm Hg or a heart rate greater than
110 beats/min.
C. Has a bleeding disorder or takes anticoagulant medications and has any blunt or
penetrating injury.
D. Has a GCS score of less than or equal to 13 with a mechanism attributed to trauma. -
correct answer D. Has a GCS score of less than or equal to 13 with a mechanism
attributed to trauma.
,According to the Association of Air Medical Services, you should consider air medical
transport of a trauma patient if:
Select one:
A. The patient requires advanced life support care and stabilization, and the nearest
ALS-ground ambulance is more than 5 to 10 minutes away.
B. Traffic conditions hamper the ability to get the patient to a trauma center by ground
within the ideal time frame for the best clinical outcome.
C. Ground transport will take your ambulance out of service for an extended period of
time, regardless of the severity of the patient's injuries.
D. He or she was involved in a motor vehicle crash in which another occupant in the
same vehicle was killed, even if your patient's injuries are minor. - correct answer B.
Traffic conditions hamper the ability to get the patient to a trauma center by ground
within the ideal time frame for the best clinical outcome.
Approximately 25% of severe injuries to the aorta occur during:
Select one:
A. Frontal collisions.
B. Rollover collisions.
C. Rear-end collisions.
D. Lateral collisions. - correct answer D. Lateral collisions.
Following a blunt injury to the head, a 22-year-old female is confused and complains of
a severe headache and nausea. On the basis of these signs and symptoms, you should
be MOST concerned with the possibility of:
Select one:
A. A fracture of the skull.
B. Airway compromise.
C. Intracranial bleeding.
D. Spinal cord injury. - correct answer C. Intracranial bleeding.
Force acting over a distance is the definition of:
Select one:
A. Work.
B. Latent energy.
C. Kinetic energy.
D. Potential energy. - correct answer A. Work.
The index of suspicion is MOST accurately defined as:
Select one:
A. The detection of less obvious life-threatening injuries.
B. A predictable pattern that leads to serious injuries.
C. Your awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying injuries.
D. The way in which traumatic injuries occur. - correct answer C. Your awareness and
concern for potentially serious underlying injuries.
,When assessing a patient who experienced a blast injury, it is important to remember
that:
Select one:
A. Solid organs usually rupture from the pressure wave.
B. Secondary blast injuries are usually the least obvious.
C. Primary blast injuries are the most easily overlooked.
D. Primary blast injuries are typically the most obvious. - correct answer C. Primary
blast injuries are the most easily overlooked.
When assessing an elderly patient who fell, it is important to remember that:
Select one:
A. Any fall in the elderly is considered to be high-energy trauma.
B. Osteoporosis can cause a fracture as a result of a fall from a standing position.
C. Bilateral hip fractures usually occur when an elderly person falls.
D. Elderly patients who fall usually have a secondary head injury. - correct answer B.
Osteoporosis can cause a fracture as a result of a fall from a standing position.
When the speed of a motor vehicle doubles, the amount of kinetic energy:
Select one:
A. Quadruples.
B. Is not affected.
C. Triples.
D. Doubles. - correct answer A. Quadruples.
Which of the following destinations is most appropriate for a 41-year-old male patient
who was involved in a rollover motor vehicle collision and is unconscious and
unresponsive, assuming that travel times to each is equal?
Select one:
A. A Level I or Level II trauma center
B. Only a Level I trauma center
C. A Level IV or Level III trauma center
D. Any designated trauma center is acceptable. - correct answer A. A Level I or Level II
trauma center
Which of the following findings would be LEAST suggestive of the presence of high-
energy trauma?
Select one:
A. Intrusion into the vehicle
B. Dismounted seats
C. Steering wheel deformity
D. Deployment of the air bag - correct answer D. Deployment of the air bag
Which of the following injuries would MOST likely occur as a direct result of the third
collision in a motor vehicle crash?
Select one:
A. Flail chest
, B. Forehead lacerations
C. Aortic rupture
D. Extremity fractures - correct answer C. Aortic rupture
Which of the following interventions is the MOST critical to the outcome of a patient with
multisystem trauma?
Select one:
A. Intravenous fluid administration
B. Early administration of oxygen
C. Rapid transport to a trauma center
D. Elevation of the lower extremities - correct answer C. Rapid transport to a trauma
center
Which of the following statements regarding gunshot wounds is correct?
Select one:
A. The size of a bullet has the greatest impact on the injury produced.
B. High-velocity bullets will cause less severe internal injuries.
C. The speed of a bullet has the greatest impact on the injury produced.
D. Low-velocity bullets will cause the greatest amount of trauma. - correct answer C.
The speed of a bullet has the greatest impact on the injury produced.
Which types of motor vehicle collisions present the greatest potential for multiple
impacts?
Select one:
A. Lateral and rollover
B. Frontal and rotational
C. Rotational and rollover
D. Rear-end and rotational - correct answer C. Rotational and rollover
While en route to a major motor vehicle crash, an on-scene police officer advises you
that a 6-year-old male who was riding in the front seat is involved. He further states that
the child was only wearing a lap belt and that the air bag deployed. On the basis of this
information, you should be MOST suspicious that the child has experienced:
Select one:
A. Lower extremity fractures.
B. Neck and facial injuries.
C. Blunt trauma to the head.
D. Open abdominal trauma. - correct answer B. Neck and facial injuries.
Your patient has a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13, a systolic blood pressure
of 80 mm Hg, and a respiratory rate of 8 breaths/min. His Revised Trauma Score (RTS)
is:
Select one:
A. 10.
B. 11.
C. 9.
