PHTLS Pretest 2026/2027 | 30+ Questions & Correct Answers | Trauma, Shock, TBI, Hemorrhage, Burns & Chest Injuries

This comprehensive PHTLS Pretest 2026/2027 study resource contains 30+ exam questions with correct answers across 7 pages, providing focused preparation for students studying Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) and prehospital trauma assessment. The material covers trauma biomechanics, cavitation, blast injuries, internal and external hemorrhage, shock, chest trauma, traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal injuries, burns, pregnancy-related trauma, fluid resuscitation, ventilation, and primary survey priorities. It combines direct knowledge questions with patient scenarios that require recognition of life-threatening injuries and selection of appropriate prehospital interventions. The opening section emphasizes kinematics and hemorrhage control. Students review cavitation caused by the transfer of kinetic energy in blunt or penetrating trauma, tertiary blast injuries such as crushing injuries associated with structural collapse, and internal hemorrhage as a major threat in trauma. A scenario involving uncontrolled bleeding from a large thigh laceration tests escalation from direct pressure to tourniquet use, while additional questions address hypovolemic shock, blood loss from femur fractures, and the physiological consequences of inadequate circulating volume. A substantial portion focuses on thoracic trauma and respiratory emergencies. Topics include commonly fractured ribs, hemothorax, tension pneumothorax, cardiac tamponade, flail chest, and the assessment of lung sounds during the primary survey. Students review findings used to differentiate hemothorax from tension pneumothorax, the potential for substantial blood accumulation within the thorax, and Beck's triad—hypotension, jugular venous distention, and muffled heart sounds—in relation to cardiac tamponade. Management concepts for flail chest include pain control, ventilatory support, and oxygenation. The resource provides concentrated review of traumatic brain injury and spinal trauma. Questions cover epidural hematoma and its association with middle meningeal artery hemorrhage, Cushing's phenomenon, altered level of consciousness, abnormal respirations, pupillary changes, and severe head-injury scenarios. The spinal section examines sympathetic nervous-system disruption in neurogenic hypotension, common mechanisms of spinal injury, and the importance of neurological and hemodynamic assessment following trauma. Shock, hemorrhage, and trauma resuscitation are also extensively tested. Learners review hypovolemic shock as the most common form of shock in trauma, the relationship between blood-volume loss and tachycardia, tachypnea, and hypotension, warming IV fluids to reduce hypothermia risk, and the distribution of isotonic crystalloid after administration. The document includes a scenario involving Stage III shock and discusses maintaining a specified systolic blood pressure during transport, introducing the concept of controlled resuscitation in selected hemorrhaging trauma patients. Another major section addresses burn assessment and management. Students review partial-thickness burns, chemical burns and coagulation necrosis, electrical arc burns, circumferential extremity burns, dry sterile dressings, analgesia, and Lactated Ringer's solution. These questions connect burn classification with immediate prehospital priorities while reinforcing the importance of identifying associated systemic complications rather than considering only visible skin injury. The exam further covers special populations and abdominal trauma, including physiological changes during pregnancy, delayed presentation of shock because of increased maternal blood volume, avoidance of the supine position in late pregnancy, assessment of older trauma patients, hollow-organ injuries and peritonitis, and mechanisms of injury in motor-vehicle collisions. The final question applies trauma kinematics to a lateral-impact collision, requiring the learner to predict an injury based on the direction of force and vehicle configuration. For authoritative academic reference, learners should cross-check this material with the current edition of Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS), developed by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) in cooperation with the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and published by Jones & Bartlett Learning. Current PHTLS course materials, local EMS protocols, medical direction, and contemporary trauma guidelines should take precedence over third-party study notes, particularly for ventilation rates, fluid-resuscitation targets, spinal-motion-restriction practices, and other clinical recommendations that may change between editions. Relevant Students: This document is relevant to PHTLS course participants, NAEMT PHTLS students, EMT students, Advanced EMT candidates, paramedic students, EMS professionals, emergency medical responders, firefighters, prehospital clinicians, flight and critical-care transport personnel, military medics, tactical medical personnel, emergency nursing students, trauma-care trainees, and healthcare professionals preparing for prehospital trauma examinations or continuing education. 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