ATC Immediate & Emergency Care 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An athlete in cardiac arrest has CPR in progress. The AED arrives. What is the correct sequence of actions?
- Stop CPR, attach AED, analyze, shock if advised, resume CPR (Correct answer)
- Shock immediately without analysis
- Continue CPR without interruption until EMS arrives
- Analyze rhythm first, then attach pads
Correct answer: Stop CPR, attach AED, analyze, shock if advised, resume CPR
CPR should be paused to allow AED pad attachment and rhythm analysis, then resumed immediately after any shock or 'no shock' advisement.
Question 2: A gymnast falls from the balance beam and is found supine, unconscious, with labored breathing. Cervical spine injury is suspected. Which airway maneuver is preferred?
- Head-tilt chin-lift
- Jaw thrust without head extension (Correct answer)
- Nasopharyngeal airway insertion
- Oropharyngeal airway with head tilt
Correct answer: Jaw thrust without head extension
The jaw thrust maneuver opens the airway without extending the cervical spine, making it the preferred technique when C-spine injury is suspected.
Question 3: An athlete with sickle cell trait collapses during intense conditioning in the heat. What presentation differentiates this from heat stroke?
- Core temperature above 40°C
- Muscle weakness and collapse without cramping, with rapid progression (Correct answer)
- Profuse sweating and intact mental status
- Hyperventilation with tingling in the extremities
Correct answer: Muscle weakness and collapse without cramping, with rapid progression
Exertional sickling typically presents as explosive muscle weakness and collapse without the high temperature or cramps seen in heat illness.
Question 4: A volleyball player is struck in the eye with the ball. Which finding would require IMMEDIATE referral to the emergency department?
- Subconjunctival hemorrhage
- Hyphema (blood in the anterior chamber) (Correct answer)
- Periorbital bruising
- Mild photophobia without vision change
Correct answer: Hyphema (blood in the anterior chamber)
Hyphema indicates significant ocular trauma with risk of increased intraocular pressure and requires emergency ophthalmologic evaluation.
Question 5: What is the MOST appropriate position for an athlete experiencing hemorrhagic shock while awaiting EMS?
- Sitting upright at 45 degrees
- Supine with legs elevated 6-12 inches (Correct answer)
- Left lateral recovery position
- Prone position
Correct answer: Supine with legs elevated 6-12 inches
Elevating the legs in a supine position helps increase venous return to the heart and maintain perfusion pressure in hemorrhagic shock.
Question 6: During CPR, an athlete vomits. What is the most appropriate immediate response?
- Continue compressions through the vomiting
- Turn the athlete to the side, clear the airway, then resume CPR (Correct answer)
- Perform abdominal thrusts to clear the airway
- Pause CPR until EMS arrives
Correct answer: Turn the athlete to the side, clear the airway, then resume CPR
Vomiting requires log-rolling the patient to the side to clear the airway and prevent aspiration, then immediately resuming CPR.
Question 7: A runner presents with confusion, sodium of 125 mEq/L, and facial swelling during a marathon. What is the MOST likely cause?
- Exertional heat stroke
- Exercise-associated hyponatremia (Correct answer)
- Diabetic hypoglycemia
- Dehydration with hypernatremia
Correct answer: Exercise-associated hyponatremia
Exercise-associated hyponatremia results from over-hydration with hypotonic fluids, causing low serum sodium, swelling, and neurologic changes.
ATC Immediate & Emergency Care 4
An athlete in cardiac arrest has CPR in progress.
The AED arrives.
What is the correct sequence of actions?