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
In a pregnant trauma patient at 28 weeks, fetal monitoring shows late decelerations with decreased variability. This finding indicates:
Answer: Uteroplacental insufficiency and fetal distress requiring urgent intervention
Late decelerations with decreased variability indicate uteroplacental insufficiency — the fetus is not receiving adequate oxygenation, representing a potentially life-threatening fetal emergency.
Which burn assessment difference is most important in pediatric patients compared to adults?
Answer: The Rule of Nines is modified because a child's head represents a proportionally larger BSA
The standard Rule of Nines is inaccurate for children because a child's head is proportionally larger (up to 18% BSA in infants versus 9% in adults). The Lund-Browder chart provides age-adjusted calculations.
A 22-year-old patient with a spinal cord injury at T4 develops sudden severe hypertension (220/120), pounding headache, and profuse sweating above the injury level. This episode is most likely:
Answer: Autonomic dysreflexia
Autonomic dysreflexia is a life-threatening emergency occurring in patients with SCI at T6 or above, triggered by noxious stimuli below the injury level causing massive unopposed sympathetic discharge.
Which finding in an elderly trauma patient should raise suspicion for elder abuse?
Answer: Multiple bruises in various stages of healing on the inner arms and trunk with an inconsistent history
Multiple bruises in various stages of healing on typically protected body areas (inner arms, trunk) combined with an inconsistent or changing history are red flags for physical elder abuse.
A bariatric trauma patient (BMI 52) requires a pelvic X-ray. The nurse should anticipate which challenge?
Answer: Imaging may be suboptimal due to body habitus; CT may be needed for adequate visualization
Obesity significantly degrades plain radiograph quality due to increased tissue density attenuating the X-ray beam, often necessitating CT for adequate evaluation of potential injuries.
Which immunization should be verified and potentially administered to ALL trauma patients with open wounds?
Answer: Tetanus toxoid and immunoglobulin as indicated
Tetanus prophylaxis must be assessed for all trauma patients with open wounds. Tetanus toxoid (Td/Tdap) is given if the last booster was >5 years ago for dirty wounds or >10 years for clean wounds, plus TIG for high-risk wounds in incompletely immunized patients.