UCLA PARAMEDIC FINAL EXAM 2026 ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔TBI - ✔✔Traumatic Brain Injury- acquired brain injury by external force that result in
impairments in function
isolation helps -> use caution to ensure not reinjuring
✔✔Stab wounds - ✔✔lower velocity (consider type of blade used and depth)
✔✔Ballistic velocity aspects - ✔✔- low energy/low velocity (knives and arrows)
- medium energy/medium velocity (handguns, shotguns)
- high energy/high velocity (assault rifles)
✔✔Ballistic cavitation aspects - ✔✔consider: expansion and fragmentation
check for: entrance and exit wounds
✔✔EMS handoff report - ✔✔"I MIST AMBO"
I: identification
M: mechanism / medical complaint
I: injuries / info relative to complaint
S: signs (vital)
T: treatment and trends
A: allergies
M: meds
B: background history
O: other
✔✔Soft tissue injury can be caused by: - ✔✔blunt injury
penetrating injury
burns
✔✔Leading form of injury - ✔✔soft tissue trauma
✔✔Death by soft tissue injuries caused by... - ✔✔uncontrolled bleeding - get a torniquet
on it/stop the bleed
local or systemic infections - keep exposures clean
,✔✔What does the skin do: - ✔✔protection, body temperature regulation, prevents
excess water loss, acts as a sense organ, responds to injuries with inflammation
✔✔Significant damage to the skin may make the pt vulnerable to: - ✔✔bacterial
invasion, temp instability, and fluid balance disturbances
✔✔Epidermis - ✔✔outermost layer of skin
consists of 5 layers:
- stratum corneum (outermost layer)
- 4 inner layers of living cells
✔✔Dermis - ✔✔tough, highly elastic connective tissue
specialized structures include:
- nerve endings, blood vessels, sweat glands, hair follicles, sebaceous glands
✔✔Subcutaneous tissues - ✔✔layer between dermis and underlying bone/muscle
- insulates
- protects
- stores energy (as fat)
✔✔Deep fascia - ✔✔thick dense layer of fibrous tissues below subcutaneous layer
tendons, muscles, and bones are below this layer
✔✔skin tension lines - ✔✔develops over areas with limited movement
large wounds may be pulled open bc of them, lacerations parallel to lines may remain
closed
dynamic tension is found over muscle - open injuries interfere with healing
✔✔Hematoma - ✔✔collection of blood that pools outside of blood vessels in an organ,
tissue, or body space (still enclosed by skin though)
✔✔Bruising - ✔✔broken blood vessels
✔✔open wounds - ✔✔incisions, lacerations, abrasions, and puncture wounds
conditions for transport:
- compromise of: nerves, muscles, vessels, tendons, ligaments
- foreign body or cosmetic complications
- heavy contamination
, ✔✔Blast injury - ✔✔can result in:
- soft tissue trauma
- abdominal trauma
- skeletal trauma
- blast lung
✔✔Compartment syndrome - ✔✔external: includes mechanisms that are applied too
tightly and restrict circulation (bandage, splint, or cast could cause)
internal: mechanisms that increase the amount of material within a compartment
(fracture, dislocation, crush, vascular, soft tissue injury, etc)
✔✔Crush injuries - ✔✔presents following extrication or release of an entrapped limb
-external appearance may not represent level of internal damage
-soft tissue injuries are almost always less important than the injuries beneath the skin
ACID BUILD UP (potassium, toxins, acids released and caught in limb that is caught) -
when item crushing pt is released, it will now circulate through whole body (USE
CAUTION - maybe use torniquet to isolate and call for consult)
✔✔Crush syndrome - ✔✔Significant metabolic derangement that develops when
crushed extremities or body parts remain trapped for prolonged periods. This can lead
to renal failure and death.
- traumatic rhabdomyolysis
- destruction of muscle releases
s/s:
- tea colored urine
TREAT EARLY FOR THIS!
✔✔Hemostasis - ✔✔vessels, platelets, and clotting cascade must work together to stop
bleeding
release of chemical mediators:
- constricts the blood vessels
- activates platelets
✔✔Inflammation - ✔✔a localized response to an injury or to the destruction of tissues ->
additional cells enter area for repair (WBC combat pathogens, lymphocytes destroy
bacteria and pathogens)
mast cells release histamine (blood vessel dilation/increases capillary permeability)
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔TBI - ✔✔Traumatic Brain Injury- acquired brain injury by external force that result in
impairments in function
isolation helps -> use caution to ensure not reinjuring
✔✔Stab wounds - ✔✔lower velocity (consider type of blade used and depth)
✔✔Ballistic velocity aspects - ✔✔- low energy/low velocity (knives and arrows)
- medium energy/medium velocity (handguns, shotguns)
- high energy/high velocity (assault rifles)
✔✔Ballistic cavitation aspects - ✔✔consider: expansion and fragmentation
check for: entrance and exit wounds
✔✔EMS handoff report - ✔✔"I MIST AMBO"
I: identification
M: mechanism / medical complaint
I: injuries / info relative to complaint
S: signs (vital)
T: treatment and trends
A: allergies
M: meds
B: background history
O: other
✔✔Soft tissue injury can be caused by: - ✔✔blunt injury
penetrating injury
burns
✔✔Leading form of injury - ✔✔soft tissue trauma
✔✔Death by soft tissue injuries caused by... - ✔✔uncontrolled bleeding - get a torniquet
on it/stop the bleed
local or systemic infections - keep exposures clean
,✔✔What does the skin do: - ✔✔protection, body temperature regulation, prevents
excess water loss, acts as a sense organ, responds to injuries with inflammation
✔✔Significant damage to the skin may make the pt vulnerable to: - ✔✔bacterial
invasion, temp instability, and fluid balance disturbances
✔✔Epidermis - ✔✔outermost layer of skin
consists of 5 layers:
- stratum corneum (outermost layer)
- 4 inner layers of living cells
✔✔Dermis - ✔✔tough, highly elastic connective tissue
specialized structures include:
- nerve endings, blood vessels, sweat glands, hair follicles, sebaceous glands
✔✔Subcutaneous tissues - ✔✔layer between dermis and underlying bone/muscle
- insulates
- protects
- stores energy (as fat)
✔✔Deep fascia - ✔✔thick dense layer of fibrous tissues below subcutaneous layer
tendons, muscles, and bones are below this layer
✔✔skin tension lines - ✔✔develops over areas with limited movement
large wounds may be pulled open bc of them, lacerations parallel to lines may remain
closed
dynamic tension is found over muscle - open injuries interfere with healing
✔✔Hematoma - ✔✔collection of blood that pools outside of blood vessels in an organ,
tissue, or body space (still enclosed by skin though)
✔✔Bruising - ✔✔broken blood vessels
✔✔open wounds - ✔✔incisions, lacerations, abrasions, and puncture wounds
conditions for transport:
- compromise of: nerves, muscles, vessels, tendons, ligaments
- foreign body or cosmetic complications
- heavy contamination
, ✔✔Blast injury - ✔✔can result in:
- soft tissue trauma
- abdominal trauma
- skeletal trauma
- blast lung
✔✔Compartment syndrome - ✔✔external: includes mechanisms that are applied too
tightly and restrict circulation (bandage, splint, or cast could cause)
internal: mechanisms that increase the amount of material within a compartment
(fracture, dislocation, crush, vascular, soft tissue injury, etc)
✔✔Crush injuries - ✔✔presents following extrication or release of an entrapped limb
-external appearance may not represent level of internal damage
-soft tissue injuries are almost always less important than the injuries beneath the skin
ACID BUILD UP (potassium, toxins, acids released and caught in limb that is caught) -
when item crushing pt is released, it will now circulate through whole body (USE
CAUTION - maybe use torniquet to isolate and call for consult)
✔✔Crush syndrome - ✔✔Significant metabolic derangement that develops when
crushed extremities or body parts remain trapped for prolonged periods. This can lead
to renal failure and death.
- traumatic rhabdomyolysis
- destruction of muscle releases
s/s:
- tea colored urine
TREAT EARLY FOR THIS!
✔✔Hemostasis - ✔✔vessels, platelets, and clotting cascade must work together to stop
bleeding
release of chemical mediators:
- constricts the blood vessels
- activates platelets
✔✔Inflammation - ✔✔a localized response to an injury or to the destruction of tissues ->
additional cells enter area for repair (WBC combat pathogens, lymphocytes destroy
bacteria and pathogens)
mast cells release histamine (blood vessel dilation/increases capillary permeability)
