PHTLS Traumatic Brain Injury 4

Question 1

A pediatric TBI patient, age 4, has a GCS of 8 and blood pressure of 70/40 mmHg. What is the minimum acceptable systolic BP target in PHTLS for this child?

Accepted Answer

80 mmHg

Answer

PHTLS targets a minimum SBP of 80 mmHg for pediatric TBI patients, compared to 90 mmHg for adults, reflecting age-related physiologic norms.

Question 2

Which prehospital intervention has been shown to MOST reliably reduce secondary brain injury from TBI?

Accepted Answer

Prevention and correction of hypoxia and hypotension

Answer

Preventing and correcting hypoxia and hypotension are the most impactful prehospital interventions to reduce secondary injury in TBI patients.

Question 3

A patient with known TBI begins having a generalized tonic-clonic seizure en route to the hospital. After ensuring airway safety, what is the next PHTLS priority?

Accepted Answer

Protect the patient from injury and monitor for airway compromise

Answer

Seizure management focuses on patient safety (preventing fall injury) and airway protection; definitive anticonvulsant treatment is typically a hospital intervention.

Question 4

Why is hyperthermia particularly harmful in TBI patients?

Accepted Answer

It increases cerebral metabolic demand, worsening ischemia in injured tissue

Answer

Hyperthermia raises cerebral metabolic rate, increasing oxygen demand in already-vulnerable injured brain tissue and exacerbating ischemic damage.

Question 5

A TBI patient who was initially alert (GCS 15) deteriorates to GCS 9 over 20 minutes. This pattern is MOST consistent with:

Accepted Answer

Epidural hematoma with an expanding hematoma (lucid interval)

Answer

A lucid interval followed by rapid neurologic deterioration is the classic presentation of an expanding epidural hematoma compressing the brain.

PHTLS - Prehospital Trauma Life Support Practice Test

PHTLS - Prehospital Trauma Life Support Practice Test

PHTLS Traumatic Brain Injury 4