PHTLS 7th Edition 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A trauma patient has a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13. Which component breakdown is consistent with this score?
- E4 V4 M5
- E3 V4 M6
- E4 V3 M6 (Correct answer)
- E2 V5 M6
Correct answer: E4 V3 M6
E4 (spontaneous eye opening) + V3 (inappropriate words) + M6 (obeys commands) = 13.
Question 2: In PHTLS, the primary purpose of the 'load and go' concept is to:
- Perform all interventions on scene before transport
- Minimize scene time and transport rapidly to definitive care (Correct answer)
- Stabilize the patient fully before moving
- Allow more thorough assessment in the field
Correct answer: Minimize scene time and transport rapidly to definitive care
Load and go prioritizes rapid transport to a trauma center because definitive hemorrhage control requires surgical intervention.
Question 3: Which mechanism of injury is MOST associated with a posterior hip dislocation?
- Fall from height landing on feet
- Direct lateral impact to the pelvis
- Dashboard impact with knees flexed in a frontal collision (Correct answer)
- Rotational force during a sports tackle
Correct answer: Dashboard impact with knees flexed in a frontal collision
Dashboard impact drives the femur posteriorly into the acetabulum when the knee strikes with the hip flexed.
Question 4: A patient involved in a blast injury presents with pulmonary contusion, intestinal perforation, and ruptured eardrums. This pattern is BEST classified as:
- Secondary blast injury
- Primary blast injury (Correct answer)
- Tertiary blast injury
- Quaternary blast injury
Correct answer: Primary blast injury
Primary blast injury results from the overpressure wave affecting air-filled organs such as lungs, bowel, and ears.
Question 5: When assessing a penetrating abdominal wound, the PHTLS provider should AVOID:
- Covering eviscerated organs with a moist dressing
- Probing the wound to determine depth (Correct answer)
- Applying an occlusive dressing if the wound is sucking
- Documenting the wound size and location
Correct answer: Probing the wound to determine depth
Probing a penetrating wound is contraindicated because it can cause additional injury and introduce infection.
Question 6: Permissive hypotension in trauma management aims to maintain systolic BP at approximately what level in a patient without traumatic brain injury?
- 60-70 mmHg
- 80-90 mmHg (Correct answer)
- 100-110 mmHg
- 120-130 mmHg
Correct answer: 80-90 mmHg
A target systolic of 80-90 mmHg minimizes clot disruption while maintaining perfusion to vital organs.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes the Haddon Matrix as applied in PHTLS?
- A triage tool for mass casualty incidents
- A framework analyzing host, agent, and environment across pre-event, event, and post-event phases (Correct answer)
- A scoring system for injury severity
- A protocol for spinal motion restriction
Correct answer: A framework analyzing host, agent, and environment across pre-event, event, and post-event phases
The Haddon Matrix is an epidemiological tool used to identify injury prevention opportunities by examining contributing factors across three phases.
PHTLS 7th Edition 4
A trauma patient has a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13.
Which component breakdown is consistent with this score?