ATLS POST TEST: MCQS MULTIPLE CHOICES (A-E) & CORRECT VERIFIED
ANSWERS | GRADED A+ | LATEST 2026 UPDATE
1. Which of the following signs is LEAST reliable for diagnosing esophageal intubation?
a. symmetrical chest wall movement
b. end-tidal CO2 presence by colorimetry
c. bilateral breath sounds
d. oxygen saturation >92%
e. ETT above carina on chest x-ray
2. Which of the following signs the necessitates a definitive airway in severe trauma patients?
a. fascial lacerations
b. repeated vomiting
c. severe maxillofacial fractures
d. sternal fracture
e. Glasgow Coma Scale score of 12
3. Twenty-seven patients are seriously injured in an aircraft crash at a local airport. The
principles of triage include:
a. establish a triage site within the internal perimeter of the crash site
b. treat only the most severely injured patients first
c. immediately transport all patients to the nearest hospital
d. treat the greatest number of patients in the shortest period of time
e. produce the greatest number of survivors based on available resources
4. Which of the following statements is correct?
a. Cerebral contusions may coalesce to form an intracerebral hematoma.
b. Epidural hematomas are usually seen in the frontal region.
c. Subdural hematomas are caused by injury to the middle meningeal artery.
d. Subdural hematomas typically have a lenticular shape on CT scan.
e. The associated brain damage is more severe in epidural hematomas.
5. An 18-ycar-old male is brought to the emergenc} department after having been shot.
He has one bullet wound just below the right clavicle and another just below the
costal margin in the right posterior axillary line. His blood pressure is110/60 mm Hg.
https://www.stuvia.com/user/mboffin
, heart rate is 90 beats per minute, and respiratory rate is 34 breaths per minute. After ensuring a
patent airway and inserting 2 large caliber IVlines., the next appropriate step is to:
a. obtain a portable chest x-ray
b. administer a bolus of additional IV fluid
c. perform a laparotomy
d. obtain an abdominal CT scan
e. perform diagnostic peritoneal lavage
6. A 47-year-old house painter is brought to the hospital after falling 6 meters (20 feet) from a
ladder and landing straddled on a fence. Examination of his perineum reveals extensive
ecchymosis. There is a blood in the external urethral meatus. The initial diagnostic study for the
evaluation of the urinary tract in this patient should be:
a. cystoscopy
b. cystography
c. intravenous pyelography
d. CT scan
e. retrograde urethrography
7. Neurogenic shock has all of the following classic characteristics except which one?
a. hypotension
b. vasodilation
c. bradycardia
d. neurologic deficit
e. narrowed pulse pressure
8. Which one of the following statements is false concerning Rh isoimmunization in pregnant
trauma patients?
a. It occurs in blunt or penetrating abdominal trauma.
b. It is produced by minor degrees of fetomaternal hemorrhage.
c. Rh immunoglobulin therapy should be administered to pregnant females who have sustained a
gunshot wound to the leg.
d. This is not a problem in traumatized, Rh-positive pregnant patients.
e. Initiation of Rh immunoglobulin therapy does not require proof of fetomaternal hemorrhage.
9. An 18-year-old motorcyclist sustains massive facial injuries in a head-on crash with a pick-up
truck. He is brought to the emergency department completely immobilized on a long spine board
and wearing a cervical collar. His blood pressure is 150/88 mmHg, heart rate is 88 beats per
minute and regular, and respiratory rate is 26 breaths per minute. His respirations are labored and
sonorous. His Glasgow Coma Scale score is 7. Attempts at orotracheal intubation with manual
inline stabilization of the c-spine are unsuccessful due to bleeding and distorted anatomy. The
patient becomes apneic. The best procedure for airway management in this situation is:
a. nasotracheal intubation
https://www.stuvia.com/user/mboffin
ANSWERS | GRADED A+ | LATEST 2026 UPDATE
1. Which of the following signs is LEAST reliable for diagnosing esophageal intubation?
a. symmetrical chest wall movement
b. end-tidal CO2 presence by colorimetry
c. bilateral breath sounds
d. oxygen saturation >92%
e. ETT above carina on chest x-ray
2. Which of the following signs the necessitates a definitive airway in severe trauma patients?
a. fascial lacerations
b. repeated vomiting
c. severe maxillofacial fractures
d. sternal fracture
e. Glasgow Coma Scale score of 12
3. Twenty-seven patients are seriously injured in an aircraft crash at a local airport. The
principles of triage include:
a. establish a triage site within the internal perimeter of the crash site
b. treat only the most severely injured patients first
c. immediately transport all patients to the nearest hospital
d. treat the greatest number of patients in the shortest period of time
e. produce the greatest number of survivors based on available resources
4. Which of the following statements is correct?
a. Cerebral contusions may coalesce to form an intracerebral hematoma.
b. Epidural hematomas are usually seen in the frontal region.
c. Subdural hematomas are caused by injury to the middle meningeal artery.
d. Subdural hematomas typically have a lenticular shape on CT scan.
e. The associated brain damage is more severe in epidural hematomas.
5. An 18-ycar-old male is brought to the emergenc} department after having been shot.
He has one bullet wound just below the right clavicle and another just below the
costal margin in the right posterior axillary line. His blood pressure is110/60 mm Hg.
https://www.stuvia.com/user/mboffin
, heart rate is 90 beats per minute, and respiratory rate is 34 breaths per minute. After ensuring a
patent airway and inserting 2 large caliber IVlines., the next appropriate step is to:
a. obtain a portable chest x-ray
b. administer a bolus of additional IV fluid
c. perform a laparotomy
d. obtain an abdominal CT scan
e. perform diagnostic peritoneal lavage
6. A 47-year-old house painter is brought to the hospital after falling 6 meters (20 feet) from a
ladder and landing straddled on a fence. Examination of his perineum reveals extensive
ecchymosis. There is a blood in the external urethral meatus. The initial diagnostic study for the
evaluation of the urinary tract in this patient should be:
a. cystoscopy
b. cystography
c. intravenous pyelography
d. CT scan
e. retrograde urethrography
7. Neurogenic shock has all of the following classic characteristics except which one?
a. hypotension
b. vasodilation
c. bradycardia
d. neurologic deficit
e. narrowed pulse pressure
8. Which one of the following statements is false concerning Rh isoimmunization in pregnant
trauma patients?
a. It occurs in blunt or penetrating abdominal trauma.
b. It is produced by minor degrees of fetomaternal hemorrhage.
c. Rh immunoglobulin therapy should be administered to pregnant females who have sustained a
gunshot wound to the leg.
d. This is not a problem in traumatized, Rh-positive pregnant patients.
e. Initiation of Rh immunoglobulin therapy does not require proof of fetomaternal hemorrhage.
9. An 18-year-old motorcyclist sustains massive facial injuries in a head-on crash with a pick-up
truck. He is brought to the emergency department completely immobilized on a long spine board
and wearing a cervical collar. His blood pressure is 150/88 mmHg, heart rate is 88 beats per
minute and regular, and respiratory rate is 26 breaths per minute. His respirations are labored and
sonorous. His Glasgow Coma Scale score is 7. Attempts at orotracheal intubation with manual
inline stabilization of the c-spine are unsuccessful due to bleeding and distorted anatomy. The
patient becomes apneic. The best procedure for airway management in this situation is:
a. nasotracheal intubation
https://www.stuvia.com/user/mboffin
