Trauma & Life Support Procedures Flashcards
7 cards from real EMS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Trauma & Life Support Procedures flashcards as text
A patient is found with an impaled object in the left eye. Correct management includes:
Answer: Stabilize the object in place and cover both eyes
Impaled objects should never be removed; they should be stabilized in place and both eyes covered to prevent sympathetic eye movement that could worsen injury.
A patient with a suspected spinal cord injury reports loss of motor function but preserved pain and temperature sensation below the injury level. This pattern is consistent with:
Answer: Brown-Séquard syndrome
Brown-Séquard syndrome involves hemisection of the cord, causing ipsilateral motor loss but contralateral loss of pain and temperature; preserved pain sensation on the same side as motor loss matches this pattern.
You respond to a child who reportedly drowned in a pool and was submerged for an unknown time. Bystanders began CPR 5 minutes ago. The child has no pulse. Your management priority is:
Answer: Continue CPR and transport — cold water drowning victims can survive prolonged submersion
Cold water drowning victims — especially children — can survive prolonged submersion due to the mammalian dive reflex and hypothermic neuroprotection; resuscitation should continue.
When assessing a trauma patient using the DCAP-BTLS mnemonic, 'C' and 'A' stand for:
Answer: Contusions and Abrasions
DCAP-BTLS stands for Deformities, Contusions, Abrasions, Punctures/Penetrations, Burns, Tenderness, Lacerations, Swelling.
A patient in PEA (pulseless electrical activity) following blunt chest trauma most likely has which reversible cause?
Answer: Tension pneumothorax or cardiac tamponade
In trauma, PEA is most commonly caused by tension pneumothorax, cardiac tamponade, or severe hypovolemia — all mechanical causes that are immediately treatable in the field.
During a mass casualty incident, a patient is found with spontaneous respirations of 22 breaths/min, radial pulse present, and follows simple commands. Using START triage, this patient is tagged:
Answer: Yellow (delayed)
In START triage, a patient with respirations 10–29, present radial pulse, and who can follow commands is tagged Yellow (delayed).
A patient with a crush injury to the lower extremities is extricated after 2 hours of entrapment. Which life-threatening complication are you most prepared to manage immediately after release?
Answer: Hyperkalemia-induced cardiac dysrhythmia from rhabdomyolysis
Release of crush syndrome causes massive release of potassium and myoglobin, with hyperkalemia capable of causing lethal cardiac dysrhythmias immediately upon extrication.