PHTLS - Prehospital Trauma Life Support Airway and Ventilation Questions and Answers

Question 1

A 34-year-old male is found unconscious after a motorcycle crash.
He has sonorous respirations and an obvious facial injury.
His respiratory rate is 6 breaths/minute and shallow.
What is the MOST appropriate initial airway intervention?

Accepted Answer

Jaw-thrust maneuver

Answer

Oropharyngeal airway (OPA)

Answer

Nasopharyngeal airway (NPA)

Answer

Immediate endotracheal intubation

Question 2

Which of the following is the primary risk associated with hyperventilating a trauma patient with a suspected traumatic brain injury (TBI)?

Accepted Answer

Cerebral vasoconstriction and ischemia

Answer

Gastric distention and aspiration

Answer

Increased intracranial pressure (ICP)

Answer

Barotrauma to the lungs

Question 3

You are managing a 45-year-old female with severe blunt chest trauma and paradoxical chest wall motion. She is breathing spontaneously at 30 breaths/minute, has a GCS of 13, and her SpO2 is 88% on a non-rebreather mask. What is the most appropriate next step?

Accepted Answer

Assist ventilations with a bag-valve-mask (BVM).

Answer

Immediately perform endotracheal intubation.

Answer

Perform a needle decompression of the chest.

Answer

Apply continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

Question 4

What is the most reliable indicator of effective bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation in a trauma patient?

Accepted Answer

Adequate and equal chest rise and fall

Answer

Improvement in the patient's skin color

Answer

The feeling of good compliance (less resistance) in the bag

Answer

The presence of bilateral breath sounds on auscultation

Question 5

Which of the following is an absolute contraindication for the insertion of a nasopharyngeal airway (NPA)?

Accepted Answer

Suspected basilar skull fracture

Answer

Presence of an intact gag reflex

Answer

Patient is actively vomiting

Answer

Significant oral trauma

Question 6

You arrive on scene to find an unresponsive trauma patient with gurgling sounds coming from their airway. What is the MOST appropriate initial action?

Accepted Answer

Perform immediate suctioning of the oropharynx.

Answer

Insert an oropharyngeal airway (OPA).

Answer

Apply a non-rebreather mask at 15 L/min.

Answer

Log-roll the patient onto their side.