Trauma Assessment
Glasgow Coma Scale assesses what three parameters??
What are Eyes, Motor, & Verbal Response
Name the 3 main layers of skin?
What is epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous layer
Describe a multisystem trauma?
What is trauma injuries affecting multiple body systems all at once, such as a falling down the stairs, and having a laceration to the head and open fracture to the lower leg.
Why is it important to understand the importance of mechanism of injury?
2-Year-old fell down the stairs, what modifications should you consider with spine mobile restrictions?
What is placing a folded towel under shoulders and back to help maintain head alignment.
Patient involved in a MVA has crepitus to left humerus, unstable left lateral chest well and flank, pain to left hip region, complains of pain to the right side of the next. Based upon injury pattern the EMT would recognize the patient was...
The driver of a car hit on the driver's side.
When classifying a burn as either superficial, partial thickness, or full-thickness, the EMT would need to determine...
The depth of the burn
Severe external bleeding should be controlled during which phase of the patient assessment?
During the patient assessment.
A patient dove into a pool and struck their head, assessment of patient finds they don't have motor or sensation in their legs but they can move their arms. What is this condition?
What is paraplegia.
What does a tourniquet do? How should the tourniquet be applied?
Provide examples of significant MOIs?
Death of an occupant in the vehicle, severe deformity to vehicle or intrusion, ejection from a vehicle, high speed crash, falls from great height.
23-year-old roofer fell 20 feet from a house onto some shrubs below. Patient has superficial abrasions and complains of soreness, no obvious injuries were detected. Patient doesn't want to be transported to the hospital, how would you best respond?
In a fall from this height, you may have hurt some internal organs. You really should be examined at a hospital.
31 year old pregnant women was shot in the neck. Responsive to verbal stimuli, with an open airway and rapid but adequate respirations. Radial pulse is weak and fast, pulse is 152 beats/min, Respirations 22/min and BP is 92/76 and SP02 is 100% on high flow oxygen. What intervention by the EMT is most beneficial?
What is placing an occlusive dressing on the neck and keep the patient warm during transport.
Why are EMTs concerned about a partial thickness burn that is circumferentially to the chest?
What is restriction of breathing.
Patient has an arrow impaled in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. Patient is in pain; no external bleeding has been noted. Vital signs indicate shock. What action should the EMT perform next?
Stabilize the arrow with an occlusive dressing
Patient has a basilar skull fracture... what finding is most consistent with this type of injury?
What is bruising behind the ears.
Patient cut their arm with a table saw, you assess dark red blood flowing steadily from the laceration. As an EMT you would classify this bleeding as...
Venous bleeding.
What sign or symptom of shock is observed last?
What is decreased blood pressure.
You have secured your patient with head, neck, and back pain to a longboard with appropriate spin motion restriction equipment. What is your immediate next step?
A patient you transported to the hospital earlier in the day was diagnosed with an epidural hematoma and is in critical condition. Based on the information you know, you recognize that an epidural hematoma is...
A young patient was recused from a burning building with partial and full thickness burns from their chest to their feet. The EMT would recognize the potential for onset of what kinds of complications.
Most importantly is hypothermia due to destruction of the skin (integumentary system). Skin regulates the body temperature.
Motorcycle accident, male patient unresponsive with blood coming out of their ears and nose. Was not wearing a helmet and has snoring respirations. What sequence of events would be most appropriate?
Scene size up, Primary assessment, airway and ventilation management, oxygen administration, spine motion restriction precautions, and transport within 10 minutes.
What high velocity wound would carry the greatest risk for death when considering the concept of cavitation?
What is a gunshot wound to the spleen?
Police contact you while enroute to a call and states there is one male patient with arterial bleeding from a stab wound to the arm. What characteristics would you expect to observe?
Male struck his face on the steering wheel, the patient's nose is deformed and actively bleeding. For his care, the EMT should ensure what priorities?
What are suctioning if needed to keep airway free of blood.
Patient has isolated spinal cord injury, and you note the patient is in severe respiratory distress and struggling to breathe, where on the vertebrae column do you suspect is injured?
What is the cervical spine.
What is the most important consideration for removing a helmet in the prehospital setting?
Patient was shocked with an electrical current while repairing a service panel. They have partial thickness burns to the hand, foot where the conduction entered and exited. Which finding would be most concerning?
Any injury that impacts/affects the airway, breathing, circulation of the patient. Including an irregular heartbeat.
Young boy on an ATV did not see the chain stretched between the two poles and hit his neck while traveling forward. The patient was thrown backward from the vehicle with force. Patient was not wearing a helmet. When assessing this patient, what sign would indicate the injury that must be addresses and manage first?
Any injuries to airway, breathing, or circulation need to be addressed first. Such as difficulty speaking would indicate an injury to throat and airway compromise.
What is increased blood pressure, decreased heart rate, and irregular respirations.
What type of patient requires the removal of an impaled object?
Patient with a broken pencil through the check, into the oropharynx, blood from the injury is impairing the airway.
Or someone with an object in the center of their chest that would block an EMT from chest compressions.
4 year old child was hit by a car. Which patterns would you recognize as typical based child's age and mechanism of injury?
What are deformed femurs, bruises to the chest, abdomen, and head injuries.
A young patient was thrown from a horse and is now confused. Patient has a patent airway, adequate breathing, and strong pulses. Vitals are normal. Regarding the patient's confusion, what questions might you ask any bystanders or family members...
Did they lose consciousness? Any improvement or deterioration of patient condition prior to EMS arrival?
38-Year-old female fell out of a 2nd story window. Now she is becoming confused, and pulse rate has increased. Her BP has now dropped and skin in now cool and clammy. What type of shock would you most likely suspect?
What is hypovolemic shock.
Write the entire Glasgow Coma Scale
Eyes: Spontaneous, Verbal, Pain, None
Verbal: Oriented speech, Confused, Inappropriate words, Confused sounds, None
Motor: Obeys command, Localizes pain, withdraws from pain, Bends (decorticate),Extends (decerebrate), None
Elderly patient fell downstairs and is complaining of neck and back pain as well as weakness to both legs. Primary assessment reveals no airway, breathing, or circulation threats. Cervical spine restriction is maintained. What do you do next?
What is complete the secondary assessment, looking for additional injuries.
Which condition is present when a person is in shock and the cellular level?
The cells do not get enough oxygen and waste products accumulate in the body.
Patient from a factory explosion complains of horrible ear pain, the initial assessment reveals no obvious injuries. Given patient presentation, the patient likely sustained what type of injury
What is a primary blast injury.
Left pupil constricts to light but the right pupil does not, unconsciousness, and AMS (altered mental status)
Male patient fell from 10 feet off a loading dock and landed on his head and back. Has a deformity and depression to the back of the head, unresponsive with snoring respirations, pulse is 132, respirations are agonal, BP is 132/64 what do we do next?
Start BVM or PPV at 12 breaths/min
Patient amputated their thumb, a co-worker has the thumb wrapped in a towel. How would you as the EMT appropriately handle the amputated part?
EMT would wrap the limb in a dry sterile dressing, possible place the limb in a bag and put that bag on ice.
An adult patient has full thickness burns to the fronts of both legs and the entire left arm. Using the rule of nines, the EMT should estimate what percentage of the patient's body has been burned?
What is 27%. Each font of leg is 9% each. An entire arm is 9%
9*3 = 27
You suspect a patient that was thrown from a motorcycle may have a basilar skull fracture, what findings might reinforce this suspicion?
Clear fluid coming from the ears and nostrils.
Called to a house for a patient not "acting right". A 68 year old female is complaining of a headache for 2 days and now is confused. You notice a bruise on the patient's right side of their forehead. The family stated the patient fell at church a week ago. No other assessment findings reveal new information. You suspect a head injury. Which type of head injury is most likely?
What is a subdural hematoma.
What injuries do you suspect to see when you patient has been injured by a secondary blast injury?
What are injuries caused by projectiles, such as shrapnel or debris, that are propelled by the force of an explosion such as a screwdriver impale in the thorax.
A down and under mechanism of injury. You are seeing the patient with lower limb injuries vs an up and over where we would see more head, neck, and chest injuries.
Soccer player was struck in the head with ball, patient is dazed asking the same questions over and over again. As you proceed with your assessment, the patient's memory improves. Based upon these findings, which type of injury do you suspect?
What is a concussion.
Motorcyclist with full helmet and unremovable faceguard was thrown from their bike. Manual C-Spine has been in place, patient is responsive to painful stimuli, breathing rapidly, with snoring respirations and gurgling airway sounds. Your immediate action should be to...
Apply the rules of 9's to a 10 month old child... what is percentage of the whole head of an infant?
What is 18% of the total body BSA>