Ocular and Facial Trauma Flashcards
6 cards from real ATLS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Ocular and Facial Trauma flashcards as text
A patient has periorbital swelling and ecchymosis after trauma. On exam, there is enophthalmos and limitation of upward gaze. What injury does this suggest?
Answer: Orbital floor (blowout) fracture with inferior rectus entrapment
Blowout fractures of the orbital floor can trap the inferior rectus muscle, causing restricted upward gaze and enophthalmos from loss of orbital volume support.
Retrobulbar hematoma after orbital trauma is a true emergency because it can cause what serious complication?
Answer: Ischemic optic neuropathy and permanent vision loss from elevated orbital pressure
Rapidly expanding retrobulbar hematoma increases orbital compartment pressure, compressing the optic nerve and central retinal artery, causing permanent blindness if untreated.
What is the emergency bedside treatment for retrobulbar hematoma with impending vision loss?
Answer: Lateral canthotomy and cantholysis
Lateral canthotomy and inferior cantholysis releases orbital compartment pressure rapidly and is a time-critical bedside procedure to save vision.
A patient with a nasal fracture has complete obstruction of both nostrils after manipulation. What immediate concern must be addressed?
Answer: Septal hematoma requiring drainage to prevent avascular necrosis
Septal hematomas must be drained promptly because the elevated perichondrium disrupts cartilage blood supply, causing avascular necrosis and saddle-nose deformity.
Le Fort I fractures involve which anatomical level?
Answer: Horizontal fracture at the base of the maxilla above the tooth apices, separating the palate from the upper face
Le Fort I is a horizontal fracture separating the tooth-bearing maxilla (hard palate and alveolar ridge) from the rest of the facial skeleton.
In chemical eye burns, what is the immediate first-line treatment before any other assessment?
Answer: Copious irrigation with normal saline or water for at least 30 minutes
Immediate and prolonged irrigation dilutes and removes the chemical agent, minimizing ongoing corneal and conjunctival damage — time to irrigation is the key determinant of outcome.