ATLS POST TEST (Latest 2026/ 2027
Update) 11th Edition Test Bank Questions
& Answers (Verified Answers) Complete
A+
A 25-year-old woman is brought to the ED after a motor vehicle crash. She was
initially lucid at the scene and then developed a dilated pupil and contralateral
extremity weakness. In the ED, she is unconscious and has a GCS score of 6. The initial
management step for this patient should be to:
A. Obtain a CT-scan of the head
B. Administer decadron 20mg IV
C. Perform endotracheal intubation
D. Administer mannitol 1g/kg IV
E. Perform an emergency bone flap craniotomy on the side of the dilated pupil. -
correct answer C. Perform endotracheal intubation
A contraindication to nasogastric intubation is the presence of a:
A. Gastric perforation
B. Diaphragmatic rupture
C. Open depressed skull fracture
D. Fracture of the cervical spine
E. Fracture of the cribiform plate - correct answer E. Fracture of the cribiform plate
,An 8-year-old girl is an unrestrained passenger in a vehicle struck from behind. In the
ED, her blood pressure is 80/60mmHg, heart rate is 80 beats per minute, and
respiratory rate is 16 breaths per minute. Her GCS score is 14. She complains that her
legs feel "funny and wont move right". However, her spine x-rays do not show a
fracture or dislocation. A spinal cord injury in this child:
A. Is most likely a central cord syndrome
B. Must be diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging
C. Can be excluded by obtaining a CT-scan of the entire spine
D. May exist in the abscence of objective findings on x-ray studies
E. Is unlikely because of the incomplete calcification of the vertebral bodies. - correct
answer D. May exist in the abscence of objective findings on x-ray studies
Immediate chest tube insertion is indicated for which of the following conditions?
A. Pneumothorax
B. Pneumomediastinum
C. Massive hemothorax
D. Diaphragmatic rupture
E. Subcutaneous emphysema - correct answer C. Massive hemothorax
Cardiac tamponade after trauma:
A. Is seldom life-threating
B. Can be excluded by an upright, AP chest x-ray
,C. Can be confused with a tension pneumthorax
D. Causes a fall in systolic pressure of > 15mmHg with expiration
E. Most commonly occurs after blunt injury to the anterior chest wall - correct answer
C. Can be confused with a tension pneumthorax
A 22-year-old man is brought to the hospital after crashing his motorcycle into a
telephone pole. He is unconscious and in profound shock. He has no open wounds or
obvious fractures. The cause of his shock is MOST LIKELY caused by:
A. A subdural hematoma
B. An epidural hematoma
C. A transected lumbar spinal cord
D. A basilar skull fracture
E. Hemorrhage into the chest or abdomen - correct answer E. Hemorrhage into the
chest or abdomen
Which of the following statements is FALSE concerning Rh-isoimmunization in the
pregnant trauma patient?
A. It occurs in blunt or penetrating abdominal trauma
B. Minor degrees of fetomaternal hemorrhage produce it
C. A negative Kleihauer-Betke test excludes Rh-Isoimmunzation
D. This is not a problem in the traumatized Rh-positive pregnant patient
, E. Initiation of Rh-immunoglobulin therapy does not require proof of fetomaternal
hemorrhage - correct answer C. A negative Kleihauer-Betke test excludes Rh-
Isoimmunzation
All of the following signs on the chest x-ray of a blunt injury victim may suggest aortic
rupture EXCEPT:
A. Mediastinal emphysema
B. Presence of a "pleural cap"
C. Obliteration of the aortic knob
D. Deviation of the trachea to the right
E. Depression of the left mainstem bronchus - correct answer A. Mediastinal
emphysema
Early central venous pressure monitoring during fluid resusciation in the ED has the
greatest utility in a:
A. Patient with a splenic laceration
B. Patient with a inhalation injury
C. 6 year-old child with a pelvic fracture
D. Patient with a severe cardiac contusion
E. 24-year-old man with a massive hemothorax - correct answer D. Patient with a
severe cardiac contusion
Update) 11th Edition Test Bank Questions
& Answers (Verified Answers) Complete
A+
A 25-year-old woman is brought to the ED after a motor vehicle crash. She was
initially lucid at the scene and then developed a dilated pupil and contralateral
extremity weakness. In the ED, she is unconscious and has a GCS score of 6. The initial
management step for this patient should be to:
A. Obtain a CT-scan of the head
B. Administer decadron 20mg IV
C. Perform endotracheal intubation
D. Administer mannitol 1g/kg IV
E. Perform an emergency bone flap craniotomy on the side of the dilated pupil. -
correct answer C. Perform endotracheal intubation
A contraindication to nasogastric intubation is the presence of a:
A. Gastric perforation
B. Diaphragmatic rupture
C. Open depressed skull fracture
D. Fracture of the cervical spine
E. Fracture of the cribiform plate - correct answer E. Fracture of the cribiform plate
,An 8-year-old girl is an unrestrained passenger in a vehicle struck from behind. In the
ED, her blood pressure is 80/60mmHg, heart rate is 80 beats per minute, and
respiratory rate is 16 breaths per minute. Her GCS score is 14. She complains that her
legs feel "funny and wont move right". However, her spine x-rays do not show a
fracture or dislocation. A spinal cord injury in this child:
A. Is most likely a central cord syndrome
B. Must be diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging
C. Can be excluded by obtaining a CT-scan of the entire spine
D. May exist in the abscence of objective findings on x-ray studies
E. Is unlikely because of the incomplete calcification of the vertebral bodies. - correct
answer D. May exist in the abscence of objective findings on x-ray studies
Immediate chest tube insertion is indicated for which of the following conditions?
A. Pneumothorax
B. Pneumomediastinum
C. Massive hemothorax
D. Diaphragmatic rupture
E. Subcutaneous emphysema - correct answer C. Massive hemothorax
Cardiac tamponade after trauma:
A. Is seldom life-threating
B. Can be excluded by an upright, AP chest x-ray
,C. Can be confused with a tension pneumthorax
D. Causes a fall in systolic pressure of > 15mmHg with expiration
E. Most commonly occurs after blunt injury to the anterior chest wall - correct answer
C. Can be confused with a tension pneumthorax
A 22-year-old man is brought to the hospital after crashing his motorcycle into a
telephone pole. He is unconscious and in profound shock. He has no open wounds or
obvious fractures. The cause of his shock is MOST LIKELY caused by:
A. A subdural hematoma
B. An epidural hematoma
C. A transected lumbar spinal cord
D. A basilar skull fracture
E. Hemorrhage into the chest or abdomen - correct answer E. Hemorrhage into the
chest or abdomen
Which of the following statements is FALSE concerning Rh-isoimmunization in the
pregnant trauma patient?
A. It occurs in blunt or penetrating abdominal trauma
B. Minor degrees of fetomaternal hemorrhage produce it
C. A negative Kleihauer-Betke test excludes Rh-Isoimmunzation
D. This is not a problem in the traumatized Rh-positive pregnant patient
, E. Initiation of Rh-immunoglobulin therapy does not require proof of fetomaternal
hemorrhage - correct answer C. A negative Kleihauer-Betke test excludes Rh-
Isoimmunzation
All of the following signs on the chest x-ray of a blunt injury victim may suggest aortic
rupture EXCEPT:
A. Mediastinal emphysema
B. Presence of a "pleural cap"
C. Obliteration of the aortic knob
D. Deviation of the trachea to the right
E. Depression of the left mainstem bronchus - correct answer A. Mediastinal
emphysema
Early central venous pressure monitoring during fluid resusciation in the ED has the
greatest utility in a:
A. Patient with a splenic laceration
B. Patient with a inhalation injury
C. 6 year-old child with a pelvic fracture
D. Patient with a severe cardiac contusion
E. 24-year-old man with a massive hemothorax - correct answer D. Patient with a
severe cardiac contusion
