Airway Management and Ventilation Flashcards
6 cards from real ITLS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Airway Management and Ventilation flashcards as text
A trauma patient with facial fractures and significant oral bleeding is unable to maintain their airway. Oral intubation attempts have failed twice. What is the next appropriate airway intervention?
Answer: Perform a surgical cricothyrotomy
After two failed oral intubation attempts in a patient who cannot maintain their airway, a surgical cricothyrotomy provides a definitive surgical airway and is the appropriate rescue technique.
What is the primary risk of using a nasopharyngeal airway in a patient with suspected basilar skull fracture?
Answer: Intracranial placement through the cribriform plate
In basilar skull fractures, the cribriform plate may be disrupted, creating a path for the NPA to be inadvertently passed into the cranial vault.
When ventilating a trauma patient with a bag-valve-mask, you notice poor chest rise despite a good mask seal. What should you do first?
Answer: Reposition the airway and reassess
Poor chest rise with a good mask seal most likely indicates inadequate airway positioning. Repositioning the airway (adjusting jaw thrust or head position) should be attempted before escalating interventions.
What is the recommended oxygen flow rate when using a bag-valve-mask with a reservoir for trauma resuscitation?
Answer: 15 L/min
A BVM with reservoir attached should be connected to oxygen at 15 L/min, which provides close to 100% FiO2, the standard for trauma resuscitation.
During a rapid trauma assessment, a patient develops gurgling sounds during ventilation. What does this indicate and what action is needed?
Answer: Fluid in the airway; immediate suctioning
Gurgling indicates the presence of blood, vomit, or secretions in the airway. Immediate suctioning is required to clear the airway and prevent aspiration.
Which patient presentation most strongly indicates the need for assisted ventilation rather than supplemental oxygen alone?
Answer: Respiratory rate of 8 with shallow chest rise and cyanosis
A respiratory rate of 8 (bradypnea) with shallow chest rise and cyanosis indicates inadequate ventilation requiring assisted ventilations with a BVM, not just supplemental oxygen.