ATLS: Pretests

1

ATLS: Pretests

• Thoracic trauma. Chest tube insertion.

A 22 year old man is hypotensive and tachycardic after a shotgun wound to the left shoulder.His blood after initial IV fluid resuscitation, a closed tube thoracostomy is performed for decreased left breath sounds

• reexamine the chest
• perform an aortogram
• obtain a CT scan of the chest
• obtain arterial blood gas analyses
• perform tranesohageal echocardiography

answer: a.

info: chest tube insertion, p. 108.

• Musculoskeletal trauma. Extremity trauma.

A construction worker falls two stories from a building and sustains bilateral calcaneal fractures. In the emergency department, he is alert, vital signs are normal, and he is complaining of severe pain in both heels and his lower back. Lower extremity pulses are strong and there is no other deformity. The suspected diagnosis is most likely to be confirmed by

• angiography
• compartment pressures
• retrograde urethrogram

d) Doppler-ultrasound studies

• complete spine x-ray series

answer: e.

• Trauma in women.

During the third trimester of pregnancy, all of the following changes occur normally EXCEPT a

• decrease in PaCO2
• decrease in leukocyte count
• reduced gastric emptying rate
• diminished residual lung volume
• diminished elvic ligament tension

answer: b.

info: p. 261.

ATLS PRETest Questions And Verified Answers

2

• Head Trauma.

In managing the head injured patient, the most important initial step is to

• secure the airway
• obtain c-spine film
• support circulation
• control scalp hemorrhage
• determine the GCS score

answer: a.

info: p. 154.

• Shock.

A previously healthy, 70kg (154 pound) man suffers an estimated acute blood loss of 2 liters.Which one of the following statements applies to this patient?

• his pulse pressure will be widened
• his urinary output will be at the lower limits of normal
• he will have tachycardia, but no change in his systolic blood pressure
• his systolic blood pressure will be decreased with a narrowed pulse ressure (true)
• his systolic blood pressure will be maintained with an elevated diastolic pressure

answer: d.

info: p. 61.

• Trauma in Women.

The physiologic hypervolemia of pregnancy has clinical significance in the management of the severely injured, gravid woman by

• reducing the need for blood transfusion
• increasing the risk of pulmonary edema
• complicating the management of closed head injury
• reducing the volume of crystalloid required for resuscitation
• increasing the volume of blood loss to

produce maternal hypotension

answer: e.

info: p. 261.

• Thermal Injuries. Injury Due to Burn and Cold.

The best guide for adequate fluid resuscitation of the burn patient is

3

• adequate urinary output
• reversal of systemic acidosis
• normalization of the heart rate
• a normal central venous pressure
• 4mL/kg/percent body burn/24 hours

answer: a.

info: p. 216-217.

• Shock.

Establishing a diagnosis of shock must include

• hypoxemia
• acidosis
• hypotension
• increased vascular resistance
• evidence of inadequate organ perfusion

answer: e.

info: p. 58.

• Musculoskeletal trauma. Extremity Trauma.

A 7 year old boy is brought to the emergency department by his parents several minutes after he fell through a window. He is bleeding profusely from a 6-cm wound of his medial right thigh. Immediate management of the wound should consist of

• application of a tourniquet
• direct pressure on the wound
• packing the wound with gauze
• direct pressure on the femoral artery at the groin
• debridement of devitalized tissue

answer: b

info: p. 79.

• Head injury.

For the patient with severe traumatic brain injury, profound hypocarbia should be avoided to prevent

• respiratory alkalosis
• metabolic acidosis
• cerebral vasoconstriction with diminished perfusion
• neurogenic pulmonary edema

4

• shift of the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve

answer: c

info: p. 136, 137.

Carbon dioxide is perhaps the most potent available modulator of cerebrovascular tone and thus cerebral blood flow (CBF). Hypercarbia and hypoxia are both potent cerebral vasodilators that result in increased cerebral blood flow and volume and, potentially, increased ICP; thus, they must be avoided. Orotracheal intubation allows for airway protection in patients who are severely obtunded and allows for better control of oxygenation and ventilation.

• Abdominal trauma.

A 25 year old man is brought to a hospital with a general surgeon after being involved in a motor vehicle crash. He has a GCS of 13 and complains of abdominal pain. His blood pressure was 80 mm Hg systolic by palpation on arrival at the hospital, but increases to 110/70 mm Hg with the administration of 2 liters of intravenous fluid. His heart rate remains 120 beats per minute. Computed tomography shows an aortic injury and splenic laceration with free abdominal fluid. His blood pressure falls to 70 mm Hg after CT. The next step is

• contrast angiography
• transfer to higher level trauma center
• exploratory laparotomy
• transfuse packed red blood cells
• transesophageal echocardiography

answer: c.

info: p. 12.

• Which one of the following statements regarding abdominal trauma in the pregnant patient

is true?

• the fetus is in jeopardy only with major abdominal trauma
• leakage of amniotic fluid is an indication for hospital admission
• indications for peritoneal lavage are different from those in the nonpregnant patient
• penetration of an abdominal hollow viscus is more common in late than in early pregnancy
• the secondary survey follows a different pattern from that of the nonpregnant patient

answer: b.

info: p. 265.

• Thoracic trauma.

The first maneuver to improve oxygenation after chest injury is