ATLS Pretests

1. Thoracic trauma. Chest tube insertion. A 22 year old man is hypotensive and tachycardic after a shotgun wound to the left shoulder. His blood after initial IV fluid resuscitation, a closed tube thoracostomy is performed for decreased left breath sounds a) reexamine the chest b) perform an aortogram c) obtain a CT scan of the chest d) obtain arterial blood gas analyses e) perform tranesohageal echocardiography answer: a. info: chest tube insertion, p. 108. 2. Musculoskeletal trauma. Extremity trauma. A construction worker falls two stories from a building and sustains bilateral calcaneal fractures. In the emergency department, he is alert, vital signs are normal, and he is complaining of severe pain in both heels and his lower back. Lower extremity pulses are strong and there is no other deformity. The suspected diagnosis is most likely to be confirmed by a) angiography b) compartment pressures c) retrograde urethrogram d) Doppler-ultrasound studies e) complete spine x-ray series answer: e. 3. Trauma in women. During the third trimester of pregnancy, all of the following changes occur normally EXCEPT a a) decrease in PaCO2 b) decrease in leukocyte count c) reduced gastric emptying rate d) diminished residual lung volume e) diminished elvic ligament tension answer: b. info: p. 261.