Initial Assessment and Triage Flashcards
6 cards from real TNCC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Initial Assessment and Triage flashcards as text
The 'D' component of the ABCDE primary survey assesses disability and includes:
Answer: Pupil size and reactivity, GCS, and lateralizing signs
'D' (Disability) in the primary survey includes a brief neurological assessment: Glasgow Coma Scale score, pupil size and reactivity, lateralizing signs, and blood glucose level.
A trauma patient is being assessed using the ABCDE approach. During the 'E' (Exposure) phase, the nurse should:
Answer: Completely undress the patient while preventing hypothermia
'E' (Exposure/Environmental control) requires completely undressing the patient to identify all injuries while simultaneously implementing measures to prevent hypothermia.
Which reassessment finding during trauma care warrants an immediate return to the primary survey?
Answer: Oxygen saturation drops from 98% to 85%
A significant drop in oxygen saturation from 98% to 85% indicates a potential airway or breathing compromise, requiring immediate return to the primary survey to reassess ABCDEs.
The 'Golden Hour' concept in trauma care emphasizes:
Answer: Definitive care for critically injured patients should begin within the first hour to improve survival
The Golden Hour concept, attributed to Dr. R Adams Cowley, emphasizes that critically injured trauma patients have the best outcomes when definitive care (typically surgery) begins within the first hour after injury.
A patient presents to the trauma bay following a fall. The trauma team notes mechanism of injury: 25-foot fall onto concrete. Based on kinematics, which injury pattern should be anticipated?
Answer: Bilateral calcaneal fractures, lumbar spine compression fractures, and wrist fractures
Falls from significant height onto feet produce the 'Don Juan triad': bilateral calcaneal fractures from impact, lumbar spine compression fractures from axial loading, and wrist fractures from upper extremity bracing.
Which adjunct to the primary survey is performed to assess for free fluid in the abdomen?
Answer: Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST)
The FAST exam is a bedside ultrasound adjunct to the primary survey used to rapidly detect free fluid (blood) in the peritoneal, pericardial, and pleural spaces.