ATLS PRACTICE TEST 1QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS RATED A+
1. Which one of the following is the recommended method for initially treating frostbite?
• vasodilators
• anticoagulants
• warm (40°C) water
• padding and elevation
• application of heat from a hair dryer
2. A 6•year•old boy is struck by an automobile and brought to the emergency department.
He is lethargic, but withdraws purposefully from painful stimuli. His blood pressure is
90mm Hg systolic, heart rate is 140 beats per minute, and his respiratory rate is 36
breaths per minute. The preferred route of venous access in this patient is:
• percutaneous femoral vein cannulation.
• cutdown on the saphenous vein at the ankle.
• intraosseous catheter placement in the proximal tibia.
• percutaneous peripheral veins in the upper extremities.
• central venous access via the subclavian or internal jugular vein.
,3. Which one of the following physical findings suggests a cause of hypotension other
than
spinal cord injury?
• priapism.
• bradycardia.
• diaphragmatic breathing.
• presence of deep tendon reflexes.
• ability to flex forearms but inability to extend them.
4. A young man sustains a gunshot wound to the abdomen and is brought promptly to
the emergency department by prehospital personnel. His skin is cool and diaphoretic,
and heis confused. His pulse is thready and his femoral pulse is only weakly
palpable. The definitive treatment in managing this patient is to:
• administer O•negative blood.
• apply external warming devices.
• control internal hemorrhage operatively.
• apply a pneumatic antishock garment (PASG).
• infuse large volumes of intravenous crystalloid solution.
5. Regarding shock in the child, which of the following is FALSE?
• Vital signs are age•related.
• Children have greater physiologic reserves than do adults.
, • Tachycardia is the primary physiologic response to hypovolemia.
• The absolute volume of blood loss required to produce shock is the same as
inadults.
• An initial fluid bolus for resuscitation should approximate 20 mL/kg of
Ringer'slactate.
6. A 33•year•old man is struck by a car traveling at 56 kph (35 mph). He has obvious
fractures of the left tibia near the knee, pain in the pelvic area, and severe dyspnea. His
heart rate is 182 beats per minute, and his respiratory rate is 48 breaths per minute
with no breath sounds heard in the left chest. A tension pneumothorax is relieved by
immediate needle decompression and tube thoracostomy. Subsequently, his heart rate
decreases to 144 beats per minute, his respiratory rate decreases to 36 breaths per
minute,and his blood pressure is 81/53 mm Hg. Warmed Ringer's lactate is
administered intravenously. The next priority should be to:
• perform external fixation of the pelvis.
• obtain abdominal and pelvic CT scans.
• perform arterial embolization of the pelvic vessels.
• perform diagnostic peritoneal lavage or FAST.
• perform a urethrogram and cystogram.
7. A 42•year•old man, injured in a motor vehicle crash, suffers a closed head
injury, multiple palpable left rib fractures, and bilateral femur fractures. He is
intubated
1. Which one of the following is the recommended method for initially treating frostbite?
• vasodilators
• anticoagulants
• warm (40°C) water
• padding and elevation
• application of heat from a hair dryer
2. A 6•year•old boy is struck by an automobile and brought to the emergency department.
He is lethargic, but withdraws purposefully from painful stimuli. His blood pressure is
90mm Hg systolic, heart rate is 140 beats per minute, and his respiratory rate is 36
breaths per minute. The preferred route of venous access in this patient is:
• percutaneous femoral vein cannulation.
• cutdown on the saphenous vein at the ankle.
• intraosseous catheter placement in the proximal tibia.
• percutaneous peripheral veins in the upper extremities.
• central venous access via the subclavian or internal jugular vein.
,3. Which one of the following physical findings suggests a cause of hypotension other
than
spinal cord injury?
• priapism.
• bradycardia.
• diaphragmatic breathing.
• presence of deep tendon reflexes.
• ability to flex forearms but inability to extend them.
4. A young man sustains a gunshot wound to the abdomen and is brought promptly to
the emergency department by prehospital personnel. His skin is cool and diaphoretic,
and heis confused. His pulse is thready and his femoral pulse is only weakly
palpable. The definitive treatment in managing this patient is to:
• administer O•negative blood.
• apply external warming devices.
• control internal hemorrhage operatively.
• apply a pneumatic antishock garment (PASG).
• infuse large volumes of intravenous crystalloid solution.
5. Regarding shock in the child, which of the following is FALSE?
• Vital signs are age•related.
• Children have greater physiologic reserves than do adults.
, • Tachycardia is the primary physiologic response to hypovolemia.
• The absolute volume of blood loss required to produce shock is the same as
inadults.
• An initial fluid bolus for resuscitation should approximate 20 mL/kg of
Ringer'slactate.
6. A 33•year•old man is struck by a car traveling at 56 kph (35 mph). He has obvious
fractures of the left tibia near the knee, pain in the pelvic area, and severe dyspnea. His
heart rate is 182 beats per minute, and his respiratory rate is 48 breaths per minute
with no breath sounds heard in the left chest. A tension pneumothorax is relieved by
immediate needle decompression and tube thoracostomy. Subsequently, his heart rate
decreases to 144 beats per minute, his respiratory rate decreases to 36 breaths per
minute,and his blood pressure is 81/53 mm Hg. Warmed Ringer's lactate is
administered intravenously. The next priority should be to:
• perform external fixation of the pelvis.
• obtain abdominal and pelvic CT scans.
• perform arterial embolization of the pelvic vessels.
• perform diagnostic peritoneal lavage or FAST.
• perform a urethrogram and cystogram.
7. A 42•year•old man, injured in a motor vehicle crash, suffers a closed head
injury, multiple palpable left rib fractures, and bilateral femur fractures. He is
intubated
