CH 70 EMERGENCY NURSING CARE
PRINCIPLES AND TRIAGE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | LATEST
UPDATE|| GRADED A+|| LATEST UPDATE
2026
What should the nurse do to assist a patient brought to the emergency department as a
victim of a gunshot wound?
1) Ask the patient who shot him
2) Bathe the patient and provide a clean gown
3) Ask the patient where the weapon is
4) Preserve the chain of evidence -CORRECTANSWER ANS: 4
Because the majority of gunshot wounds require an investigation by law enforcement,
nurses working in emergency departments and trauma centers should be familiar with
their agency's protocols for maintaining evidence required by law enforcement. Often,
law enforcement does not want the victim's hands or the area around the victim's
wounds cleansed. Clothes and personal items are often wanted as evidence. The nurse
should not bathe the patient and provide a clean gown. The nurse should not ask the
patient who shot him or where the weapon is. The nurse should preserve the chain of
evidence.
, A patient is brought into the emergency department after being assaulted. It is
suspected that the patient has a spinal cord injury. Which diagnostic test does the nurse
anticipate based on the data collected?
1) Computed tomography (CT) scan
2) X-ray
3) Ultrasound
4) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -CORRECTANSWER ANS: 4
An MRI will be performed if there is a risk for spinal cord injuries, injuries to the muscles,
or abdominal injuries.
A patient recovering from a motor vehicle crash develops hypotension and jugular
distension with a tracheal deviation. Based on this data, which should the nurse suspect
occurred?
1) Hemorrhage
2) Compensatory shock
3) Hypovolemic shock
4) Tension pneumothorax -CORRECTANSWER ANS: 4
A tension pneumothorax is life threatening and requires immediate intervention. On
inspiration, air enters the pleural space, does not escape on expiration, and increases
the intrapleural pressure. This pressure collapses the injured lung and shifts the
mediastinal contents, compressing the heart, great vessels, trachea, and eventually the
uninjured lung.
PRINCIPLES AND TRIAGE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | LATEST
UPDATE|| GRADED A+|| LATEST UPDATE
2026
What should the nurse do to assist a patient brought to the emergency department as a
victim of a gunshot wound?
1) Ask the patient who shot him
2) Bathe the patient and provide a clean gown
3) Ask the patient where the weapon is
4) Preserve the chain of evidence -CORRECTANSWER ANS: 4
Because the majority of gunshot wounds require an investigation by law enforcement,
nurses working in emergency departments and trauma centers should be familiar with
their agency's protocols for maintaining evidence required by law enforcement. Often,
law enforcement does not want the victim's hands or the area around the victim's
wounds cleansed. Clothes and personal items are often wanted as evidence. The nurse
should not bathe the patient and provide a clean gown. The nurse should not ask the
patient who shot him or where the weapon is. The nurse should preserve the chain of
evidence.
, A patient is brought into the emergency department after being assaulted. It is
suspected that the patient has a spinal cord injury. Which diagnostic test does the nurse
anticipate based on the data collected?
1) Computed tomography (CT) scan
2) X-ray
3) Ultrasound
4) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -CORRECTANSWER ANS: 4
An MRI will be performed if there is a risk for spinal cord injuries, injuries to the muscles,
or abdominal injuries.
A patient recovering from a motor vehicle crash develops hypotension and jugular
distension with a tracheal deviation. Based on this data, which should the nurse suspect
occurred?
1) Hemorrhage
2) Compensatory shock
3) Hypovolemic shock
4) Tension pneumothorax -CORRECTANSWER ANS: 4
A tension pneumothorax is life threatening and requires immediate intervention. On
inspiration, air enters the pleural space, does not escape on expiration, and increases
the intrapleural pressure. This pressure collapses the injured lung and shifts the
mediastinal contents, compressing the heart, great vessels, trachea, and eventually the
uninjured lung.
