ITLS Question and Answer [2026] |
UPDATED ACTUAL Exam | Complete
Exam Prep
• What are the three separate events in an MVC? -✓✓ Machine collision, body
collision, organ collision
• Five forms of MVCs? -✓✓ Frontal, lateral, rear, rollover, rotational
• Common injuries for frontal collisions? -✓✓ Windshield, whiplash, steering
wheel, compression, dashboard
• Common injuries for lateral collisions? -✓✓ Lateral displacement, side impact
• Common injuries for rear collisions? -✓✓ Whiplash, spinal, deceleration
• Common injuries for rollover collisions? -✓✓ Axial-loading, ejections, impact,
whiplash, etc.
• Common injuries for rotational collisions? -✓✓ frontal impact, lateral impact
injuries
• Should you board someone with a penetrating injury if the injury is not near the
spine? -✓✓ No
,• What are the five different blast injuries? -✓✓ Primary, secondary, tertiary,
quaternary, quinary
• Primary blast injuries? -✓✓ initial air blast
• Secondary blast injuries? -✓✓ shrapnel hits
• Tertiary blast injuries? -✓✓ body being thrown into ground or other objects
• Quaternary blast injuries? -✓✓ Thermal burns or respiratory injuries from
inhalation of fumes
• Quinary blast injuries? -✓✓ contamination by chemical, biological, or
radiological material
• What is the highest cause of death in young people? -✓✓ Trauma
• What are the three things that you're allowed to interrupt the primary survey? -
✓✓ Scene becomes unsafe, treatment of airway obstruction, treatment of cardiac
arrest
• What's the goal to complete primary survey? -✓✓ less than two minutes and on
scene time of 5 minutes or less
• What is the "fix-it" process? -✓✓ Delegating to team interventions and
continuing the assessment
,• What's the first thing to be done in a trauma? -✓✓ Control bleeding then airway
• If the chest is moving but you don't feel air, is the pt breathing adequately? -✓✓
No
• What is the general rule for all patients with multi-system trauma? -✓✓ High-
flow supplemental oxygen, keeping the pulse oximeter reading around 95% rather
than 100%
• What should be done with bleeding that is not controlled with pressure? -✓✓
Tourniquet, if a hemostatic agent and pressure fails.
• When should you obtain a SAMPLE history and why? -✓✓ At the same time you
are performing the pt assessment (another EMT can be doing this) because you
may be obtaining info from bystanders who won't be transporting.
• What are the critical injuries and conditions in which you should transport
immediately? -✓✓ AMS, abnormal breathing, abnormal circulation, injuries that
could lead to shock, significant mechanism of injury or general health
• What procedures should not be performed before rapid transport? -✓✓ non-
lifesaving procedures such as splinting, bandaging, IV access, or elective
endotracheal intubation
• Per ITLS, when should reassessment in the ongoing exam occur? -✓✓ critical
patients every 5 minutes, stable patients every 15 minutes.
, • During what occurrences, should the ongoing exam be performed? -✓✓ each
time the pt is moved, each time an intervention is performed, any time the patient's
condition worsens.
• When should a secondary assessment be performed? -✓✓ During transport rather
than on scene, unless primary survey does not reveal a critical condition
• What does TIC stand for? -✓✓ Tenderness, instability, and crepitus
• When should a glucose check be obtained for AMS in a trauma? -✓✓ Ongoing
exam
• What is serum lactate a good marker for? -✓✓ Tissue hypoxia, predictor of shock
• What is a FAST exam and what is it good for? -✓✓ Focused Assessment with
Sonography in Trauma, good for assessing trauma in the abdomen
• What is the chest wall comprised of? -✓✓ skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle, ribs,
and the neurovascular bundle (which runs around the lower border of the rib)
• How much blood can the adult thoracic cavity contain? -✓✓ Up to 3 liters on
each side
• What does the mediastinum include? -✓✓ heart, aorta, pulmonary artery, superior
and inferior vena cava, trachea, major bronchi, and esophagus
• Where is the diaphragm located? -✓✓ lower six ribs and xyphoid process
UPDATED ACTUAL Exam | Complete
Exam Prep
• What are the three separate events in an MVC? -✓✓ Machine collision, body
collision, organ collision
• Five forms of MVCs? -✓✓ Frontal, lateral, rear, rollover, rotational
• Common injuries for frontal collisions? -✓✓ Windshield, whiplash, steering
wheel, compression, dashboard
• Common injuries for lateral collisions? -✓✓ Lateral displacement, side impact
• Common injuries for rear collisions? -✓✓ Whiplash, spinal, deceleration
• Common injuries for rollover collisions? -✓✓ Axial-loading, ejections, impact,
whiplash, etc.
• Common injuries for rotational collisions? -✓✓ frontal impact, lateral impact
injuries
• Should you board someone with a penetrating injury if the injury is not near the
spine? -✓✓ No
,• What are the five different blast injuries? -✓✓ Primary, secondary, tertiary,
quaternary, quinary
• Primary blast injuries? -✓✓ initial air blast
• Secondary blast injuries? -✓✓ shrapnel hits
• Tertiary blast injuries? -✓✓ body being thrown into ground or other objects
• Quaternary blast injuries? -✓✓ Thermal burns or respiratory injuries from
inhalation of fumes
• Quinary blast injuries? -✓✓ contamination by chemical, biological, or
radiological material
• What is the highest cause of death in young people? -✓✓ Trauma
• What are the three things that you're allowed to interrupt the primary survey? -
✓✓ Scene becomes unsafe, treatment of airway obstruction, treatment of cardiac
arrest
• What's the goal to complete primary survey? -✓✓ less than two minutes and on
scene time of 5 minutes or less
• What is the "fix-it" process? -✓✓ Delegating to team interventions and
continuing the assessment
,• What's the first thing to be done in a trauma? -✓✓ Control bleeding then airway
• If the chest is moving but you don't feel air, is the pt breathing adequately? -✓✓
No
• What is the general rule for all patients with multi-system trauma? -✓✓ High-
flow supplemental oxygen, keeping the pulse oximeter reading around 95% rather
than 100%
• What should be done with bleeding that is not controlled with pressure? -✓✓
Tourniquet, if a hemostatic agent and pressure fails.
• When should you obtain a SAMPLE history and why? -✓✓ At the same time you
are performing the pt assessment (another EMT can be doing this) because you
may be obtaining info from bystanders who won't be transporting.
• What are the critical injuries and conditions in which you should transport
immediately? -✓✓ AMS, abnormal breathing, abnormal circulation, injuries that
could lead to shock, significant mechanism of injury or general health
• What procedures should not be performed before rapid transport? -✓✓ non-
lifesaving procedures such as splinting, bandaging, IV access, or elective
endotracheal intubation
• Per ITLS, when should reassessment in the ongoing exam occur? -✓✓ critical
patients every 5 minutes, stable patients every 15 minutes.
, • During what occurrences, should the ongoing exam be performed? -✓✓ each
time the pt is moved, each time an intervention is performed, any time the patient's
condition worsens.
• When should a secondary assessment be performed? -✓✓ During transport rather
than on scene, unless primary survey does not reveal a critical condition
• What does TIC stand for? -✓✓ Tenderness, instability, and crepitus
• When should a glucose check be obtained for AMS in a trauma? -✓✓ Ongoing
exam
• What is serum lactate a good marker for? -✓✓ Tissue hypoxia, predictor of shock
• What is a FAST exam and what is it good for? -✓✓ Focused Assessment with
Sonography in Trauma, good for assessing trauma in the abdomen
• What is the chest wall comprised of? -✓✓ skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle, ribs,
and the neurovascular bundle (which runs around the lower border of the rib)
• How much blood can the adult thoracic cavity contain? -✓✓ Up to 3 liters on
each side
• What does the mediastinum include? -✓✓ heart, aorta, pulmonary artery, superior
and inferior vena cava, trachea, major bronchi, and esophagus
• Where is the diaphragm located? -✓✓ lower six ribs and xyphoid process
