Trauma Assessment and Management Flashcards
7 cards from real Paramedics Exam 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 Assessment and Management flashcards as text
A patient with a stab wound to the right chest has absent breath sounds on the right, JVD, and hypotension. The FIRST intervention should be:
Answer: Immediate needle decompression of the right chest
This triad (absent breath sounds, JVD, hypotension) with a penetrating mechanism indicates tension pneumothorax requiring immediate needle decompression.
What is the recommended target systolic BP for permissive hypotension in an adult trauma patient with suspected internal hemorrhage and NO traumatic brain injury?
Answer: 80–90 mmHg
Permissive hypotension targets a systolic BP of 80–90 mmHg to maintain perfusion while minimizing clot disruption in hemorrhaging patients without TBI.
During a mass casualty incident, a patient is found apneic after repositioning the airway. Under START triage, this patient is tagged:
Answer: Black (expectant/deceased)
Under START triage, a patient who remains apneic after airway repositioning is tagged black (expectant/deceased) because resources must go to salvageable patients.
A patient with a gunshot wound to the neck is speaking in a hoarse voice with subcutaneous emphysema palpable at the neck. The airway should be managed by:
Answer: Early definitive airway before swelling closes it
Expanding hematoma and edema from zone II neck trauma can rapidly close the airway; early definitive airway management prevents a surgical emergency.
The Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale is NOT part of trauma assessment; however, which trauma tool assesses CNS status in the primary survey?
Answer: AVPU scale
The AVPU scale (Alert, Voice, Pain, Unresponsive) provides a rapid CNS assessment during the primary survey's neurological component.
Which sign is MOST indicative of a basilar skull fracture during the secondary assessment?
Answer: Raccoon eyes (periorbital ecchymosis)
Raccoon eyes (bilateral periorbital ecchymosis) and Battle's sign (mastoid ecchymosis) are classic delayed signs of basilar skull fracture.
A trauma patient in hemorrhagic shock has received 2 units of packed red blood cells. In a damage control resuscitation approach, the next component to administer is:
Answer: Fresh frozen plasma at a 1:1 ratio
Damage control resuscitation uses blood products in a 1:1:1 ratio (RBCs:FFP:platelets) to replace all components of lost whole blood and prevent coagulopathy.