Exam 32: Spinal Column and Spinal Cord Trauma

A patient is complaining of back pain and numbness to both legs after being thrown from a bicycle. When should the EMT first check the motor function, sensory function, and pulses in this patient?

A 42-year-old man has called 911 because of severe back pain. He informs you that his back pain is related to a recent fracture of his coccyx. Based on this information, where should the EMT expect the patient to be complaining of pain?

An EMT is rapidly extricating a critically injured patient from a severely damaged vehicle. Which one of the following would the EMT recognize as acceptable given this patient's condition?

A patient has been struck in the back by a heavy piece of wood that was being bent to make a form for a concrete arch. He is responsive, but cannot feel or move his legs. He has bruising to his back and is incontinent of urine. The skin below the injury site is red and warm. As a knowledgeable EMT, you should realize that:

Which one of the following signs or symptoms best indicates the patient has suffered an injury to the thoracic spine?

For which of the following patients involved in a motor vehicle collision is the use of a vest-type short immobilization device indicated?

A 25-year-old male jail inmate was pushed over the railing of a walkway 20 feet above the ground. He is unresponsive and has an open fracture of the left upper arm. How would you determine if the patient has sensation in his legs?

For a person to make a fist, which one of the following must occur?

A 2-year-old boy fell down a flight of stairs. Which instruction would you provide to other EMTs who are immobilizing the patient?

A patient is lying under a tree after being involved in a motor vehicle collision. She states that immediately after the crash, she felt okay, but now her legs are numb and tingling. She also has lower back discomfort. What question is it most important for the EMT to ask first?

A patient injured in a motor vehicle collision is suffering from the separation of the rib and its associated spinal vertebrae. Based on the anatomy of the spine, where has this injury occurred?

A patient dove into a shallow pool and struck his head on the bottom. Your assessment findings indicate that he has no motor or sensation ability in his legs, but he can move his arms. The EMT should recognize which of the following conditions?

Based on the structure of the nervous system, which of the following is true?

A young female driver, involved in a motor vehicle collision, complains of cervical pain resulting from a lateral-type mechanism of neck injury. Based on this information, what type of collision most likely took place?

The EMT is properly assessing for a spinal cord injury when she:

You are securing a patient to the long backboard. The appropriate order for securing the straps would be:

You have been called for a patient with severe back pain. When obtaining a medical history, he tells you that he has a history of damaged disks in his vertebrae. As a knowledgeable EMT, you should recognize that the:

What area of the spinal cord is most commonly injured?

You have been called to a public building for a 32-year-old male patient who fell down a flight of stairs. As you pull up, he walks to the ambulance and states that he would like to be looked at because his shoulder and lower back hurt. You immediately take in-line manual spinal stabilization and examine his back, which reveals no sign of injury. How should you immobilize this patient?

A male patient has suffered an injury that severed his spinal cord in the thoracic spine. What presentation would be associated with this injury?