Page 1 of 88
ATLS POST TEST ACTUAL EXAM LATEST UPDATE
THIS YEAR COMPLETE 280 QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
A trauma patient presents to your emergency department with inspiratory stridor and a
suspected c-spine injury. Oxygen saturation is 88% on high-flow oxygen via a nonrebreathing
mask. The most appropriate next step is to: restrict cervical motion and establish a definitive
airway
When applying the Rule of Nines to infants: The head is proportionally larger in infants than in
adults.
A healthy young male is brought to the emergency department following a motor vehicle crash.
His vital signs are a blood pressure of 84/60, pulse 123, GCS 10. The patient moans when his
pelvis is palpated. After initiating fluid resuscitation, the next step in management is: placement
of a pelvic binder
Which one of the following situations requires Rh immunoglobulin administration to an injured
woman? positive pregnancy test, Rh negative, and has torso trauma
, Page 2 of 88
A 22-year-old female athlete is stabbed in her left chest at the third interspace in the anterior
axillary line. On admission to the emergency department and 15 minutes after the incident, she
is awake and alert. Her heart rate is 100 beats per minute, blood pressure 80/60 mm Hg, and
respiratory rate 20 breaths per minute. A chest x-ray reveals a large left hemothorax. A left chest
tube is placed with an immediate return of 1600 mL of blood. The next management step for
this patient is: prepare for an exploratory thoracotomy
A 6-year-old boy walking across the street is struck by the front bumper of a sports utility
vehicle traveling at 32 kph (20 mph). Which one of the following statements is TRUE about this
patient? A pulmonary contusion may be present in the absence of rib fractures.
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:
re-examine the chest
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: complete spine x-ray
series
, Page 3 of 88
Which of the following is true regarding the initial resuscitation of a trauma patient? Evidence
of improved perfusion after fluid resuscitation could include improvement in Glasgow Coma
Scale score on reevaluation.
In managing a patient with a severe traumatic brain injury, the most important initial step is to:
secure the airway
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? An ABG would demonstrate a
base deficit between -6 and -10 mEq/L.
The physiological hypervolemia of pregnancy has clinical significance in the management of the
severely injured, gravid woman by:
urinary output of 0.5 mL/kg/hr
The best assessment of fluid resuscitation of the adult burn patient is: increasing the volume of
blood loss to produce maternal hypotension
The diagnosis of shock must include: evidence of inadequate organ perfusion
, Page 4 of 88
A 7-year-old boy is brought to the emergency department by his parents several minutes after
he fell through a window. He is bleeding profusely from a 6-cm wound of his medial right thigh.
Immediate management of the wound should consist of: direct pressure on the wound
For the patient with severe traumatic brain injury, profound hypocarbia should be avoided to
prevent: cerebral vasoconstriction with diminished perfusion
After being involved in a motor vehicle crash, a 25-year-old man is brought to a hospital that has
surgery capabilities available.. Computed tomography of the chest and abdomen shows an
aortic injury and splenic laceration with free abdominal fluid. His blood pressure falls to 70 mm
Hg after CT. The next step is: perform an exploratory laparotomy
Which one of the following statements regarding abdominal trauma in the pregnant patient is
TRUE? Leakage of amniotic fluid is an indication for hospital admission.
The first maneuver to improve oxygenation after chest injury is: administer supplemental
oxygen
A 25-year-old man, injured in a motor vehicular crash, is admitted to the emergency
department. His pupils react sluggishly and his eyes open to pressure. He does not follow
commands, but he does moan periodically. His right arm is deformed and does not respond to
pressure; however, his left hand reaches purposefully toward the stimulus. Both legs are stiffly
extended. His GCS score is: 9
ATLS POST TEST ACTUAL EXAM LATEST UPDATE
THIS YEAR COMPLETE 280 QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
A trauma patient presents to your emergency department with inspiratory stridor and a
suspected c-spine injury. Oxygen saturation is 88% on high-flow oxygen via a nonrebreathing
mask. The most appropriate next step is to: restrict cervical motion and establish a definitive
airway
When applying the Rule of Nines to infants: The head is proportionally larger in infants than in
adults.
A healthy young male is brought to the emergency department following a motor vehicle crash.
His vital signs are a blood pressure of 84/60, pulse 123, GCS 10. The patient moans when his
pelvis is palpated. After initiating fluid resuscitation, the next step in management is: placement
of a pelvic binder
Which one of the following situations requires Rh immunoglobulin administration to an injured
woman? positive pregnancy test, Rh negative, and has torso trauma
, Page 2 of 88
A 22-year-old female athlete is stabbed in her left chest at the third interspace in the anterior
axillary line. On admission to the emergency department and 15 minutes after the incident, she
is awake and alert. Her heart rate is 100 beats per minute, blood pressure 80/60 mm Hg, and
respiratory rate 20 breaths per minute. A chest x-ray reveals a large left hemothorax. A left chest
tube is placed with an immediate return of 1600 mL of blood. The next management step for
this patient is: prepare for an exploratory thoracotomy
A 6-year-old boy walking across the street is struck by the front bumper of a sports utility
vehicle traveling at 32 kph (20 mph). Which one of the following statements is TRUE about this
patient? A pulmonary contusion may be present in the absence of rib fractures.
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:
re-examine the chest
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: complete spine x-ray
series
, Page 3 of 88
Which of the following is true regarding the initial resuscitation of a trauma patient? Evidence
of improved perfusion after fluid resuscitation could include improvement in Glasgow Coma
Scale score on reevaluation.
In managing a patient with a severe traumatic brain injury, the most important initial step is to:
secure the airway
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? An ABG would demonstrate a
base deficit between -6 and -10 mEq/L.
The physiological hypervolemia of pregnancy has clinical significance in the management of the
severely injured, gravid woman by:
urinary output of 0.5 mL/kg/hr
The best assessment of fluid resuscitation of the adult burn patient is: increasing the volume of
blood loss to produce maternal hypotension
The diagnosis of shock must include: evidence of inadequate organ perfusion
, Page 4 of 88
A 7-year-old boy is brought to the emergency department by his parents several minutes after
he fell through a window. He is bleeding profusely from a 6-cm wound of his medial right thigh.
Immediate management of the wound should consist of: direct pressure on the wound
For the patient with severe traumatic brain injury, profound hypocarbia should be avoided to
prevent: cerebral vasoconstriction with diminished perfusion
After being involved in a motor vehicle crash, a 25-year-old man is brought to a hospital that has
surgery capabilities available.. Computed tomography of the chest and abdomen shows an
aortic injury and splenic laceration with free abdominal fluid. His blood pressure falls to 70 mm
Hg after CT. The next step is: perform an exploratory laparotomy
Which one of the following statements regarding abdominal trauma in the pregnant patient is
TRUE? Leakage of amniotic fluid is an indication for hospital admission.
The first maneuver to improve oxygenation after chest injury is: administer supplemental
oxygen
A 25-year-old man, injured in a motor vehicular crash, is admitted to the emergency
department. His pupils react sluggishly and his eyes open to pressure. He does not follow
commands, but he does moan periodically. His right arm is deformed and does not respond to
pressure; however, his left hand reaches purposefully toward the stimulus. Both legs are stiffly
extended. His GCS score is: 9
