- Prehospital Trauma Life Support Traumatic Brain Injury 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 - Prehospital Trauma Life Support Traumatic Brain Injury flashcards as text
What is the 'talk and die' phenomenon in traumatic brain injury?
Answer: Initially lucid patients who deteriorate and die from expanding intracranial hemorrhage, classically epidural hematoma
The 'talk and die' phenomenon describes patients who appear neurologically intact initially but rapidly deteriorate from expanding intracranial hemorrhage.
According to PHTLS, what is the significance of Battle's sign and raccoon eyes in a head trauma patient?
Answer: They suggest basilar skull fracture and may take hours to develop
Battle's sign (mastoid ecchymosis) and raccoon eyes (periorbital ecchymosis) are clinical signs of basilar skull fracture.
What positioning does PHTLS recommend for a TBI patient during transport?
Answer: Head elevated 30 degrees if spinal injury is not suspected and blood pressure is adequate
Elevating the head 30 degrees promotes venous drainage from the brain, helping to reduce intracranial pressure.
How does PHTLS recommend using the GCS motor component for field assessment of TBI severity?
Answer: The motor component is the most prognostically valuable GCS element and can guide management when eye and verbal scores are confounded
The motor component is the most reliable predictor of outcome and is least affected by confounders like facial trauma or intubation.
What is the PHTLS recommendation for managing seizures in a TBI patient?
Answer: Protect the patient from injury, maintain airway, and administer benzodiazepines per protocol to stop prolonged seizures
Seizures increase cerebral metabolic demand and ICP, worsening secondary brain injury.
According to PHTLS, why is glucose monitoring important in TBI patients?
Answer: Both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia worsen secondary brain injury outcomes
Hypoglycemia deprives the injured brain of its primary fuel, while hyperglycemia promotes oxidative stress in ischemic brain tissue.
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