ITLS Triage and Mass Casualty Incidents 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the START triage system, what is the first action taken upon arriving at a multiple-casualty scene?
- Check all patients for radial pulses
- Direct patients who can walk to move to a designated area (Correct answer)
- Immediately treat the most critically injured patient
- Establish an incident command post
Correct answer: Direct patients who can walk to move to a designated area
START triage begins by directing ambulatory patients to walk to a designated area, quickly categorizing them as 'minor' and freeing rescuers to assess more critical patients.
Question 2: According to START triage, a patient with a respiratory rate greater than 30 breaths per minute should be tagged:
- Minor (green)
- Delayed (yellow)
- Immediate (red) (Correct answer)
- Expectant (black)
Correct answer: Immediate (red)
In START triage, a respiratory rate above 30/min indicates a critical patient who requires immediate intervention and is tagged red.
Question 3: In START triage, which finding would result in an 'immediate' (red) tag based on circulatory assessment?
- Radial pulse present and patient follows commands
- Respiratory rate of 18 breaths per minute
- Absent radial pulse (Correct answer)
- Minor laceration with controlled bleeding
Correct answer: Absent radial pulse
An absent radial pulse indicates poor perfusion consistent with shock, classifying the patient as immediate (red) in START triage.
Question 4: What color tag is used for 'expectant' patients in the standard triage color system?
- Red
- Yellow
- Green
- Black (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Black
Black tags indicate expectant patients — those whose injuries are so severe that survival is unlikely even with treatment, or who are already deceased.
Question 5: SALT triage stands for:
- Sort, Assess, Life-saving interventions, Treatment/transport (Correct answer)
- Scene, Airway, Logroll, Tourniquet
- Survey, Alert, Lifeline, Transfer
- Secondary Assessment, Lifeline, Treatment, Transport
Correct answer: Sort, Assess, Life-saving interventions, Treatment/transport
SALT stands for Sort, Assess, Life-saving interventions, Treatment/transport — an evidence-based MCI triage system endorsed for use in the US.
Question 6: During a mass casualty incident, which patients receive the highest priority for treatment and transport?
- Expectant patients
- Delayed patients
- Minor patients
- Immediate patients (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Immediate patients
Immediate (red tag) patients have life-threatening but survivable injuries and receive the highest priority for treatment and transport to definitive care.
Question 7: In START triage, failure to follow simple commands after airway and circulatory assessment indicates the patient should be classified as:
- Delayed (yellow)
- Immediate (red) (Correct answer)
- Minor (green)
- Expectant (black)
Correct answer: Immediate (red)
Failure to follow simple commands indicates altered mental status, which classifies the patient as immediate (red) in the START algorithm.
