Exam 27: Trauma Overview: the Trauma Patient and the Trauma System

During an in-service focusing on care of the trauma patient, the medical director asks if anyone can correctly describe the "platinum 10 minutes." Which of the following indicates the best response?

A car has been hit head-on by another vehicle at a moderate rate of speed. Seat belts were in place and the air bags deployed. The patient is complaining of chest pain. Quick observation reveals a bruise to his sternum. The EMT would immediately:

You arrive on the scene of a motorcycle accident and find an unresponsive male patient lying in the middle of the road with blood coming from his ears and nose. He was not wearing a helmet and has snoring respirations. Which of the following would be most appropriate in the care of this patient?

A bullet fired from a gun at close range passes through the patient's liver. However, on autopsy, the coroner discovers that the man's pancreas, stomach, and gallbladder were also injured, even though not in direct contact with the bullet. As a knowledgeable EMT, you would recognize that which of the following is responsible for injury to these additional organs?

A male patient has sustained gunshot wounds to the neck and abdomen. He is unresponsive and has gurgling respirations. Your immediate action would be to:

You have arrived on the scene of an explosion in a warehouse used to store fertilizers. A paramedic, who has already triaged the nine patients involved, directs you to a young man sitting under a tree. The man states that he is having excruciating ear pain. The initial assessment and rapid trauma assessment reveal no obvious injuries. Given this presentation, the EMT would recognize which of the following?

What piece of information would you provide to a group of young teenage drivers to decrease their chance of suffering a "whiplash" type injury if involved in a motor vehicle collision?

Which of the following is a high-velocity wound that carries the greatest risk for death when considering the concept of cavitation?

Which of the following describes the "platinum 10 minutes" as it applies to care of the trauma patient?

A 27-year-old male was involved in an altercation and was struck in the ribs with a baseball bat. Assessment reveals intact skin with noted bruising to the right lateral chest. When palpating this area, pain, instability, and crepitus are all observed. The patient also complains of difficult and painful breathing. The EMT would recognize:

Which of the statements below best characterizes the capabilities of a Level III Trauma Center?

You are assessing a male patient who was stabbed three times in the chest and abdomen. As you begin your primary assessment, you note him to have a decreased level of consciousness and gurgling respirations. Your next action would be to:

A 49-year-old male has been stabbed in the lower right chest. Police tell you that the patient got into an argument with an unidentified man, who then stabbed him before fleeing the scene. After assessing the patient, you are suspicious that the knife punctured the lung and is causing internal bleeding. In this situation, the mechanism of injury would be:

An unrestrained driver of a car that has struck a tree at 45 mph has suffered a contusion (bruise) to his heart. The EMT would recognize that this injury occurred during which impact of the collision?

You are hosting a discussion on injury prevention when a participant asks you if you believe that helmets for motorcyclists will truly make a difference. You would respond by saying:

Two cars have collided head on. One car was traveling 55 mph and the other 35 mph. The total speed of impact would be:

An unrestrained female driving a small car is involved in a rollover-type collision. Why is her risk for serious injury and death significantly increased?

The EMT understands the importance of evaluating the mechanism of injury when he states:

A patient with severe head and neck pain states that he was properly wearing his seat belt when another car struck him from behind. As a knowledgeable EMT, you would realize that the complaint of:

Assessment of a patient involved in a motor vehicle accident reveals him to have crepitus to the left humerus, instability to the left lateral chest wall and flank, and pain on palpation to left hip region. He also complains of pain to the right side of the neck. Based on this injury pattern, the EMT would recognize the patient was: