PHTLS - Prehospital Trauma Life Support Pediatric Trauma Flashcards
6 cards from real PHTLS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 PHTLS - Prehospital Trauma Life Support Pediatric Trauma flashcards as text
When using the pediatric assessment triangle (PAT), which three components are evaluated?
Answer: Appearance, work of breathing, circulation to skin
The PAT assesses appearance (tone, interactiveness, cry), work of breathing (sounds, positioning, retractions), and circulation to skin (color, mottling, pallor).
A 2-year-old trauma patient has a GCS of 9. Using the modified pediatric GCS, what adjustment must be made to the verbal component?
Answer: Verbal responses are scored based on age-appropriate vocalizations rather than adult criteria
The pediatric modification of the GCS verbal score accounts for age-appropriate vocalizations such as crying, babbling, or words rather than adult verbal responses.
What is the estimated normal systolic blood pressure for a child aged 4 years using the PHTLS formula?
Answer: 80 mmHg
The PHTLS formula for minimum acceptable systolic BP in children is 70 + (2 × age in years); for a 4-year-old: 70 + 8 = 78, with 80 mmHg being the standard approximation.
In a pediatric patient with suspected tension pneumothorax, which needle decompression site is preferred?
Answer: Fifth intercostal space, mid-axillary line
Current guidelines favor the fifth intercostal space at the mid-axillary line for needle decompression in both adults and pediatric patients due to higher success rates.
Why are children more susceptible to hypothermia following trauma than adults?
Answer: Larger body surface area relative to mass and less subcutaneous fat
Children have a larger body surface area-to-mass ratio and less insulating subcutaneous fat, causing faster heat loss and increased hypothermia risk.
Which fracture pattern in a young child, when identified without a plausible mechanism, should raise concern for non-accidental trauma (NAT)?
Answer: Spiral fractures of the humerus in a non-ambulatory infant
Spiral fractures of long bones, especially the humerus in non-ambulatory infants, are classic high-suspicion injuries for non-accidental trauma when no consistent history exists.
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