PCP Trauma Care 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the correct order of priorities in the primary survey for trauma patients?
- Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure (Correct answer)
- Circulation, Airway, Breathing, Disability, Exposure
- Breathing, Circulation, Airway, Disability, Exposure
- Disability, Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Exposure
Correct answer: Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure
The primary survey follows the ABCDE sequence: Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure.
Question 2: Which of the following best controls severe external hemorrhage from an extremity?
- Elevation alone
- Pressure dressing
- Tourniquet applied proximal to the wound (Correct answer)
- Ice pack application
Correct answer: Tourniquet applied proximal to the wound
A tourniquet applied proximal to a life-threatening extremity hemorrhage is the most effective method of hemorrhage control.
Question 3: A trauma patient presents with absent breath sounds on the left, tracheal deviation to the right, and hypotension. You suspect:
- Hemothorax
- Tension pneumothorax (Correct answer)
- Cardiac tamponade
- Flail chest
Correct answer: Tension pneumothorax
Absent breath sounds, tracheal deviation away from the affected side, and hypotension are classic signs of tension pneumothorax.
Question 4: The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) assesses which three components?
- Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate
- Eye opening, verbal response, motor response (Correct answer)
- Pupils, reflexes, level of consciousness
- Orientation, memory, calculation
Correct answer: Eye opening, verbal response, motor response
The GCS evaluates eye opening, verbal response, and motor response, with a maximum score of 15.
Question 5: A patient with a GCS of 8 is considered to have:
- Mild head injury
- Moderate head injury
- Severe head injury (Correct answer)
- No significant injury
Correct answer: Severe head injury
A GCS of 8 or less indicates a severe head injury and typically warrants airway protection.
Question 6: Which of the following is a sign of a tension pneumothorax that distinguishes it from a simple pneumothorax?
- Absent breath sounds
- Pleuritic chest pain
- Hemodynamic instability and tracheal deviation (Correct answer)
- Subcutaneous emphysema
Correct answer: Hemodynamic instability and tracheal deviation
Tension pneumothorax causes hemodynamic compromise and tracheal deviation, unlike simple pneumothorax which does not.
PCP Trauma Care 1
What is the correct order of priorities in the primary survey for trauma patients?