Special Populations in Trauma 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 Special Populations in Trauma flashcards as text
A 70-year-old trauma patient on warfarin presents with a GCS of 13 after a fall. The nurse should anticipate which urgent intervention?
Answer: Immediate CT head and warfarin reversal given high risk of intracranial hemorrhage
Elderly patients on anticoagulants have significantly increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage even with minor head trauma. Immediate CT and anticoagulant reversal are priorities.
Which physiological change in pregnancy makes assessment of hemorrhagic shock more challenging?
Answer: Physiological hypervolemia of pregnancy masking significant blood loss
Pregnancy increases blood volume by 40-50% (1,500-2,000 mL), allowing the pregnant patient to lose significant blood before showing traditional signs of shock.
In pediatric trauma, the most common cause of death is:
Answer: Traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death in pediatric trauma patients, owing to the proportionally larger and heavier head and thinner cranial bones in children.
An obese patient (BMI 45) involved in an MVC requires intubation. Which airway challenge should the nurse anticipate?
Answer: Rapid oxygen desaturation during apnea, difficult bag-mask ventilation, and challenging laryngoscopy
Obese patients have reduced functional residual capacity, increased oxygen consumption, redundant upper airway tissue, and challenging body habitus, leading to rapid desaturation and difficult airway management.
When assessing a geriatric trauma patient, which physiological change most increases vulnerability to thoracic injuries?
Answer: Chest wall stiffening from calcified costal cartilage and osteoporotic ribs
Age-related changes including calcified costal cartilage, osteoporotic ribs, and decreased chest wall compliance increase the risk of rib fractures and associated pulmonary injuries from relatively minor mechanisms.
A trauma patient with a known history of adrenal insufficiency on chronic corticosteroids presents in shock disproportionate to the apparent injury severity. The nurse should consider:
Answer: Adrenal crisis requiring stress-dose steroids
Patients on chronic corticosteroids have suppressed hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and cannot mount an appropriate cortisol stress response, potentially developing adrenal crisis with refractory hypotension.