Core Content and Skills Flashcards
7 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 7 Core Content and Skills flashcards as text
During the secondary survey of a trauma patient, the nurse notes tracheal deviation to the right. Which condition does this most likely indicate?
Answer: Left-sided tension pneumothorax
Tracheal deviation shifts away from the affected side; deviation to the right indicates a left-sided tension pneumothorax pushing mediastinal structures rightward.
A patient arrives after a motor vehicle crash with a GCS of 14, BP 88/60, HR 126, and distended neck veins. Which injury is most suspected?
Answer: Cardiac tamponade
Beck's triad (hypotension, distended neck veins, muffled heart sounds) is classic for cardiac tamponade, which impairs ventricular filling.
When assessing the 'E' component in the primary survey, what does the trauma nurse evaluate?
Answer: Expose and environment control
The 'E' in the ABCDE primary survey stands for Expose/Environment — fully exposing the patient while preventing hypothermia.
Which mechanism best explains neurogenic shock in a cervical spinal cord injury patient?
Answer: Loss of sympathetic tone causing vasodilation and bradycardia
Cervical cord injuries disrupt descending sympathetic pathways, causing peripheral vasodilation and unopposed vagal bradycardia.
A patient with an open book pelvic fracture is hemodynamically unstable. What is the FIRST priority intervention?
Answer: Application of a pelvic binder or sheet
A pelvic binder reduces pelvic volume, tamponades venous bleeding, and is the first step in stabilizing an unstable pelvic fracture.
Which finding on the focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) exam indicates significant intra-abdominal hemorrhage?
Answer: Free fluid in Morrison's pouch
Free fluid (anechoic stripe) in Morrison's pouch between the liver and right kidney indicates intra-abdominal hemorrhage on FAST exam.
A trauma patient has a serum lactate of 6 mmol/L. What does this value most strongly indicate?
Answer: Significant tissue hypoperfusion and shock
Elevated lactate (>4 mmol/L) indicates anaerobic metabolism from tissue hypoperfusion, signaling significant shock.