Review Questions

Select the ONE best answer.

  1. Which of the following patients—all of the same weight, gender, and age—are likely to sustain the worst injuries?

    1. A fall from a height of 25 ft (~8 m) onto grass
    2. A fall from a height of 25 ft (~8 m) onto cement
    3. An unrestrained patient involved in a motor vehicle crash at 25 mph (~10 m/s) with airbag deployment
    4. An unrestrained patient involved in a motor vehicle crash at 25 mph (~10 m/s) with no airbag deployment

  2. Recent advances in the manufacture of automobiles has significantly reduced the injuries a driver sustains during a crash. Heavy damage to the front of the vehicle alone is not considered a significant mechanism of injury anymore. Which of the following still represents a mechanism of injury capable of resulting in significant injury to the restrained driver?

    1. Ejection from a motor vehicle
    2. Lateral or T-bone type crash on the right side
    3. Quarter panel collision with rotation
    4. Side-over-side rollover

  3. Which of the following is NOT found in the dermis layer of the skin?

    1. Melanocytes
    2. Nerve endings
    3. Peripheral vasculature
    4. Sweat glands

  4. Use this information for questions 4 and 5. 

    A patient has been trapped under debris during a structure collapse for approximately 8 hours before you are able to access the person. The person’s left leg is crushed with a steel support beam. The person is conscious, alert, and oriented, complaining of pain and dizziness. The patient’s vital signs are HR: 100, BP: 96/56, RR: 24, and SpO2: 96%. You have initiated a peripheral intravenous line and placed the patient on a cardiac monitor. You observe this 12-lead ECG result:

    What is the most appropriate next treatment for this patient and rhythm?

    1. 1 L lactated Ringer solution
    2. 1 mEq/kg sodium bicarbonate
    3. 1 g calcium chloride or calcium gluconate
    4. 150 mg amiodarone, slow over 10 minutes

  5. Impaled objects may be removed from a patient in all the following instances EXCEPT:

    1. The object is impaled in the patient’s facial cheek.
    2. The object interferes with effective patient transport.
    3. The object interferes with the performance of CPR.
    4. The object interferes with airway maintenance.

  6. Use the following information to answer questions 6–8. 

    You arrive on the scene of a fire, and the firefighters bring you a patient who was trapped inside the house. The patient has sustained partial- and full-thickness burns over the anterior abdomen, anterior upper legs, and circumferential lower legs below the knees. The person’s genitals were spared injury. The person weighs approximately 265 lb, is conscious and alert, and is maintaining his or her own airway with the following vital signs: HR: 118, RR: 24, BP: 108/54; SpO2: 100%.

    What is the approximate BSA burned?

    1. 27%
    2. 31.5%
    3. 36%
    4. 45%

  7. Approximately how much fluid should the patient receive in the first 8 hours after the incident?

    1. 5,800 mL
    2. 8,700 mL
    3. 17,345 mL
    4. 19,000 mL

  8. Which color triage tag should this patient receive during the primary triage if he or she was part of  a larger incident?

    1. Red
    2. Yellow
    3. Green
    4. Black

  9. Exposure to which of the following forms of radiation is potentially the most lethal?

    1. Alpha particles
    2. Beta particles
    3. Gamma radiation
    4. Ultraviolet radiation

  10. All of the following are true of splinting EXCEPT:

    1. Splint both ends of the fractured bone.
    2. Check distal pulse, motor, and sensation before and after splinting.
    3. Pad over any bony areas.
    4. Place the fractured extremity in a neutral position prior to splinting.

  11. Epidural hematomas are most commonly caused by which of the following?

    1. Aneurysms
    2. Dural lacerations
    3. Lacerations to meningeal veins
    4. Lacerations to meningeal arteries

  12. You have been called to an indoor rock-climbing gym, where a patient fell off the top of the rock climbing wall after a rope failed. The patient is conscious and alert, answering questions appropriately. The patient is complaining of mid-back pain, numbness and paralysis to the right leg, and loss of pain sensation in the left leg. You suspect which spinal cord injury?

    1. Anterior cord syndrome
    2. Brown-Sequard syndrome
    3. Cauda equina syndrome
    4. Posterior cord syndrome

  13. Your patient was struck in the chest with a baseball bat during a street brawl. He is complaining of severe chest pain that gets worse when he coughs and shortness of breath. The patient has a large bruise in the center of his chest with no crepitus noted. Lung sounds are clear bilaterally. The patient’s vital signs over 15 minutes are listed below. What condition does your patient most likely have?

    Initial: HR: 118, BP: 126/84, RR: 24, SpO2: 98% on room air
    10 min: HR: 124, BP: 116/80, RR: 24, SpO2: 98% on room air
    15 min: HR: 130, BP: 104/88, RR: 24, SpO2: 98% on room air

    1. Cardiac contusion
    2. Cardiac tamponade
    3. Pulmonary contusion
    4. Pneumomediastinum