ATLS POST TEST Exam Questions and
Answers Graded A+
Which of the following is the recommended Method for treatment frostbite?
A. Vasodilators
B. Anticigulants
C. Warm (40 degrees) water
D. Padding and elevation
E. Application of heat from a hairdryer - Correct answer-C. Warm (40 degrees)
water
Which of the following physical findings suggest a cause of hypotension other than
spinal cord injury?
A. Priapism
B. Bradycardia
C. Diaphragmatic breathing
D. Presence of deep tendon reflexes
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,E. Ability to flex forearms but not extend them - Correct answer-D. Presence of
deep tendon reflexes. Spinal shock refers to loss of muscle toe (flaccidty) and loss
of reflexes.
The primary indication for transferring A patient to a higher level trauma center is:
A. Unavailibility of surgeon or operating staff
B. Multiple system injuries, including severe head injury
C. Resource limitations as determined by the transferring doctor
D. Resource limitations as determined by the hospital administration
E. Widened mediastinum on chest x-ray following blunt trauma - Correct answer-
C. Resource limitations as determined by the transferring doctor
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
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,D. Abdominal ultrasonography
E. A diagnostic peritoneal lavage - Correct answer-A. Laparotomy because of
hemodynamic abnormality
A 42-year-old man is trapped from the waist down beneath his overturned tractor
for several hours before medical assistance arrives. He is awake and alert until just
before arriving in the ED. He is now unconscious and responds only to painful
stimuli by moaning. His pupils are 3mm in diameter and symmetrically reactive to
light. Prehospital personnel indicate that they have not seen the patient move either
of his lower extremities. On examination in the ED, no movement of his lower
extremities are detected, even in response to painful stimuli. The most likely cause
for this finding is:
A. An epidural hematoma
B. A pelvic fracture
C. Central cord syndrome
D. Intracerebral hemorrhage
E. Bilateral compartment syndrome - Correct answer-E. Bilateral compartment
syndrome
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, A 6-year-o boy is struck by an automobile and brought to the ED. He is lethargic,
but withdraws purposefully from painful stimuli. His blood pressure is 90mmHg
systolic, heart rate 140 beats per minute and his respiratory rate is 36 breaths per
minute. The preferred route of venous access in this patient is:
A. Percutaneous femoral vein cannulation
B. Cutdown on the saphenous vein at the ankle
C. Intraosseous catheter placement in the proximal tibia
D. Percutaneous peripheral veins in the upper extremities
E. Central venous access via the subclavian or internal jugular vein - Correct
answer-D. Percutaneous peripheral veins in the upper extremities
A young man sustains a gunshot wound to the abdomen and is brought promptly to
the ED by prehospital personnel. His skin is cool and diaphoretic, and he is
confused. His pulse is thready and his femoral pulse is only weakly palpable. The
definitive treatment in managing this patient is to:
A. Administer O-negative blood
B. Apply external warming devices
C. Control internal hemorrhage operatively
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Answers Graded A+
Which of the following is the recommended Method for treatment frostbite?
A. Vasodilators
B. Anticigulants
C. Warm (40 degrees) water
D. Padding and elevation
E. Application of heat from a hairdryer - Correct answer-C. Warm (40 degrees)
water
Which of the following physical findings suggest a cause of hypotension other than
spinal cord injury?
A. Priapism
B. Bradycardia
C. Diaphragmatic breathing
D. Presence of deep tendon reflexes
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,E. Ability to flex forearms but not extend them - Correct answer-D. Presence of
deep tendon reflexes. Spinal shock refers to loss of muscle toe (flaccidty) and loss
of reflexes.
The primary indication for transferring A patient to a higher level trauma center is:
A. Unavailibility of surgeon or operating staff
B. Multiple system injuries, including severe head injury
C. Resource limitations as determined by the transferring doctor
D. Resource limitations as determined by the hospital administration
E. Widened mediastinum on chest x-ray following blunt trauma - Correct answer-
C. Resource limitations as determined by the transferring doctor
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
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,D. Abdominal ultrasonography
E. A diagnostic peritoneal lavage - Correct answer-A. Laparotomy because of
hemodynamic abnormality
A 42-year-old man is trapped from the waist down beneath his overturned tractor
for several hours before medical assistance arrives. He is awake and alert until just
before arriving in the ED. He is now unconscious and responds only to painful
stimuli by moaning. His pupils are 3mm in diameter and symmetrically reactive to
light. Prehospital personnel indicate that they have not seen the patient move either
of his lower extremities. On examination in the ED, no movement of his lower
extremities are detected, even in response to painful stimuli. The most likely cause
for this finding is:
A. An epidural hematoma
B. A pelvic fracture
C. Central cord syndrome
D. Intracerebral hemorrhage
E. Bilateral compartment syndrome - Correct answer-E. Bilateral compartment
syndrome
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, A 6-year-o boy is struck by an automobile and brought to the ED. He is lethargic,
but withdraws purposefully from painful stimuli. His blood pressure is 90mmHg
systolic, heart rate 140 beats per minute and his respiratory rate is 36 breaths per
minute. The preferred route of venous access in this patient is:
A. Percutaneous femoral vein cannulation
B. Cutdown on the saphenous vein at the ankle
C. Intraosseous catheter placement in the proximal tibia
D. Percutaneous peripheral veins in the upper extremities
E. Central venous access via the subclavian or internal jugular vein - Correct
answer-D. Percutaneous peripheral veins in the upper extremities
A young man sustains a gunshot wound to the abdomen and is brought promptly to
the ED by prehospital personnel. His skin is cool and diaphoretic, and he is
confused. His pulse is thready and his femoral pulse is only weakly palpable. The
definitive treatment in managing this patient is to:
A. Administer O-negative blood
B. Apply external warming devices
C. Control internal hemorrhage operatively
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
