ATLS Post Test
Which of the following is least reliable for diagnosing esophageal intubation?
ANSWER ETT above carina on chest x ray
Which of the following signs necessitates the need for a definitive airway in severe trauma
patient?
ANSWER Severe maxillofacial trauma
Twenty seven people are severely injured in an aircraft crash at a local airport. The principles of
triage include:
ANSWER Produce the greatest number of survivors based on available resources
Which of the following statements are correct?
ANSWER Cerebral contusions may coalesce to form an intracerebral hematoma
The primary indication for transferring a patient to a higher level trauma center is:
ANSWER Resource limitations as determined by the transferring doctor
A teenaged bicycle rider is hit by a truck traveling at high speed. In the emergency department,
she is actively bleeding from open fractures of her legs, and has abrasions on her chest and
abdominal wall. Her blood pressure is 80/50 mm Hg, heart rate is 140 beats per minute,
respiratory rate is 8 breaths per minute, and GCS score is 6. The first step in managing this
patient is to:
a) obtain a lateral cervical spine xray.
b) administer 2 liters of crystalloid solution.
c) insert a central venous pressure line.
d) perform endotracheal intubation and ventilation.
ANSWER D. Perform endotracheal intubation and ventilation
Contraindication to nasogastric intubation is the presence of a:
ANSWER Fracture of the cribiform plate
Which of the following statements regarding patients with thoracic spine injuries is true?
ANSWER Log rolling may be destabilizing to fractures from T12-L1
, A young man sustains a rifle wound to the mid-abdomen. He is brought promptly to the ED by
prehospital personnel. His skin is cool and diaphoretic, and his systolic blood pressure is
58mmHg. Warmed crystalloid fluids are initiated without improvement in his vital signs. The
next, most appropriate, step is to perform:
A. a laparotomy
B. An abdominal CT-scan
C. Diagnostic laparoscopy
D. Abdominal ultrasonography
E. A diagnostic peritoneal lavage
ANSWER A celiotomy
Young women sustains a severe head injury as the result of a motor vehicle crash. In the
emergency department her GCS is 6. Her BP is 140/90 mmHg and her HR is 80. She is
intubated and is being mechanically ventilated. Her pupils are 3 mm in size and equally reactive
to light. There is no other apparent injury. The more important principle to follow in the early
management of her head injury is to:
ANSWER Prevent secondary brain injury
22 year old man is brought to the hospital after crashing his motorcycle into a telephone pole.
He is unconscious and in profound shock. He has no open wounds or obvious fractures. The
cause of his shocks is most likely caused by:
ANSWER Hemorrhage into the chest of abdomen
30 year old man is struck by a car traveling 35mph. He has obvious fractures of the left tibia
near the knee, pain in the pelvis area, and severe dyspnea. His HR is 180, RR 48 bpm with no
breath sounds heard in the left chest. A tension PTX is relieved by immediate needle
decompression and tube thoracostomy. Subsequently his HR decreased to 140, his RR
decreased to 36 bpm, and BP 80/50 mmHg. Warmed LR is administered intravenously. The
next priority should be to:
ANSWER Perform external fixation of the pelvis
8 year old girl is an unrestrained passenger in a vehicle struck from behind. In the ED, her blood
pressure is 80/60, heart rate is 80 bpm, and respiratory rate is 16 breaths per minute. Her GCS
score is 14. She complains that her legs "feel funny and won't move right", however, her spine
x-rays do not show a fracture dislocation. A spinal injury in this child:
ANSWER Can be excluded by obtaining a CT of the entire spine
Immediately chest tube insertion is indicated for which of the following conditions?
Which of the following is least reliable for diagnosing esophageal intubation?
ANSWER ETT above carina on chest x ray
Which of the following signs necessitates the need for a definitive airway in severe trauma
patient?
ANSWER Severe maxillofacial trauma
Twenty seven people are severely injured in an aircraft crash at a local airport. The principles of
triage include:
ANSWER Produce the greatest number of survivors based on available resources
Which of the following statements are correct?
ANSWER Cerebral contusions may coalesce to form an intracerebral hematoma
The primary indication for transferring a patient to a higher level trauma center is:
ANSWER Resource limitations as determined by the transferring doctor
A teenaged bicycle rider is hit by a truck traveling at high speed. In the emergency department,
she is actively bleeding from open fractures of her legs, and has abrasions on her chest and
abdominal wall. Her blood pressure is 80/50 mm Hg, heart rate is 140 beats per minute,
respiratory rate is 8 breaths per minute, and GCS score is 6. The first step in managing this
patient is to:
a) obtain a lateral cervical spine xray.
b) administer 2 liters of crystalloid solution.
c) insert a central venous pressure line.
d) perform endotracheal intubation and ventilation.
ANSWER D. Perform endotracheal intubation and ventilation
Contraindication to nasogastric intubation is the presence of a:
ANSWER Fracture of the cribiform plate
Which of the following statements regarding patients with thoracic spine injuries is true?
ANSWER Log rolling may be destabilizing to fractures from T12-L1
, A young man sustains a rifle wound to the mid-abdomen. He is brought promptly to the ED by
prehospital personnel. His skin is cool and diaphoretic, and his systolic blood pressure is
58mmHg. Warmed crystalloid fluids are initiated without improvement in his vital signs. The
next, most appropriate, step is to perform:
A. a laparotomy
B. An abdominal CT-scan
C. Diagnostic laparoscopy
D. Abdominal ultrasonography
E. A diagnostic peritoneal lavage
ANSWER A celiotomy
Young women sustains a severe head injury as the result of a motor vehicle crash. In the
emergency department her GCS is 6. Her BP is 140/90 mmHg and her HR is 80. She is
intubated and is being mechanically ventilated. Her pupils are 3 mm in size and equally reactive
to light. There is no other apparent injury. The more important principle to follow in the early
management of her head injury is to:
ANSWER Prevent secondary brain injury
22 year old man is brought to the hospital after crashing his motorcycle into a telephone pole.
He is unconscious and in profound shock. He has no open wounds or obvious fractures. The
cause of his shocks is most likely caused by:
ANSWER Hemorrhage into the chest of abdomen
30 year old man is struck by a car traveling 35mph. He has obvious fractures of the left tibia
near the knee, pain in the pelvis area, and severe dyspnea. His HR is 180, RR 48 bpm with no
breath sounds heard in the left chest. A tension PTX is relieved by immediate needle
decompression and tube thoracostomy. Subsequently his HR decreased to 140, his RR
decreased to 36 bpm, and BP 80/50 mmHg. Warmed LR is administered intravenously. The
next priority should be to:
ANSWER Perform external fixation of the pelvis
8 year old girl is an unrestrained passenger in a vehicle struck from behind. In the ED, her blood
pressure is 80/60, heart rate is 80 bpm, and respiratory rate is 16 breaths per minute. Her GCS
score is 14. She complains that her legs "feel funny and won't move right", however, her spine
x-rays do not show a fracture dislocation. A spinal injury in this child:
ANSWER Can be excluded by obtaining a CT of the entire spine
Immediately chest tube insertion is indicated for which of the following conditions?
