ATLS 10TH EDITION TRIAGE
ANSWERS FOR APPENDIX F:
TRIAGE SCENARIOS; PATIENT A-F
WITH COMPLETE SOLUTION
(LATEST UPDATE)
,Answers for Appendix F: Triage
Scenarios
INTRODUCTION
The following suggested answers to the ATLS Triage their choices rather than to arrive at a particular
Scenarios should be on hand during the course as a correct answer. There may be several correct answers
reference for instructors. ATLS sites can also for a particular scenario given specific local resources
distribute these solutions to participants at the end and/or unique circumstances (twists) that the faculty
of the course. The most important aspect of the may introduce
triage scenarios is to emphasize the principles of and discuss.
triage and encourage the students to reason
through
Go back to last viewed page
,648 SECTION 4 ■ Student Course
Resources
TRIAGE scENARIo I
Mass Shooting at a Shopping Mall
scENARIo
You are summoned to a safe triage area at a shopping mall where 6 people are injured in a
mass shooting. The shooter has killed himself. You quickly survey the situation and determine
that the patients’ conditions are as follows:
PATIENT A—A young male is screaming, “Please help me, my leg is killing
me!” PATIENT B—A young female has cyanosis and tachypnea and is
breathing noisily.
PATIENT C—An older male is lying in a pool of blood with his left pant leg soaked in blood.
PATIENT D—A young male is lying facedown and not moving.
PATIENT E—A young male is swearing and shouting that someone should help him or he will call his lawyer.
PATIENT F—A teenage girl is lying on the ground crying and holding her abdomen.
QUEsTIoNs FoR REsPoNsE
1. For each patient, what is the primary problem requiring treatment? The student(s)
should indicate that management priorities could be based on information gleaned by
surveying all of the victims from a distance. If the student indicates that he or she needs to
examine each of the patients individually before making a decision, the group should discuss
this response. The direction of the discussion should indicate that, while information is being
obtained on one patient, another patient might die from a more serious injury. Also, the
time taken to gather detailed information on all of the patients before establishing
priorities based on that information could lead to disastrous results. If there is doubt
about which one of these patients is most severely injured, based on the available
information, the decision must be made to proceed with the best information available at
the time. The instructor should then provide information that could be obtained by
surveying the situation from a distance, as follows:
PATIENT A—is a young male screaming, “Please help me, my leg is killing me!”
Possible Injury/Problem:The patient has a probable fracture/open fracture of the lower extremity.
PATIENT B—appears to have cyanosis and tachypnea and is breathing noisily.
Possible Injury/Problem:This patient likely has a compromised airway.
PATIENT C—is an older male lying in a pool of blood with his left pant leg soaked in
blood. Possible Injury/Problem:This patient has potential blood loss from an open fracture
or laceration. PATIENT D—is lying facedown and not moving.
Possible Injury/Problem:This patient may be comatose, dead, or have a brain or spine injury.
PATIENT E—is swearing and shouting that someone should help him or he will call his lawyer.
Possible Injury/Problem:: Is this patient hemodynamically normal? This patient may be in shock,
have a psychological problem, or a personality disorder.
PATIENT F—A teenaged girl is lying on the ground crying and holding her
abdomen. Possible Injury/Problem:Does this patient have a torso gunshot
injury?
The instructor should clearly explain that all of the previously outlined information could be
obtained without actually examining any of these patients in detail and that, based on this
information, a triage decision could be made. The instructor may ask, “Suppose you are in doubt
about which patient is most severely injured. How should you respond?” Students should be
prompted to respond that the decision must be made to proceed on the basis of the best
information available at the time.
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, PART B ■ Answers for Appendix F: Triage 649
Based on the information obtained by surveying the patients from a distance, the students
Scenarios
are then asked to triage the victims and give the rationale for their choices. The convergent or
divergent model may be used here to facilitate the discussions.
Go back to last viewed page 64
7
ANSWERS FOR APPENDIX F:
TRIAGE SCENARIOS; PATIENT A-F
WITH COMPLETE SOLUTION
(LATEST UPDATE)
,Answers for Appendix F: Triage
Scenarios
INTRODUCTION
The following suggested answers to the ATLS Triage their choices rather than to arrive at a particular
Scenarios should be on hand during the course as a correct answer. There may be several correct answers
reference for instructors. ATLS sites can also for a particular scenario given specific local resources
distribute these solutions to participants at the end and/or unique circumstances (twists) that the faculty
of the course. The most important aspect of the may introduce
triage scenarios is to emphasize the principles of and discuss.
triage and encourage the students to reason
through
Go back to last viewed page
,648 SECTION 4 ■ Student Course
Resources
TRIAGE scENARIo I
Mass Shooting at a Shopping Mall
scENARIo
You are summoned to a safe triage area at a shopping mall where 6 people are injured in a
mass shooting. The shooter has killed himself. You quickly survey the situation and determine
that the patients’ conditions are as follows:
PATIENT A—A young male is screaming, “Please help me, my leg is killing
me!” PATIENT B—A young female has cyanosis and tachypnea and is
breathing noisily.
PATIENT C—An older male is lying in a pool of blood with his left pant leg soaked in blood.
PATIENT D—A young male is lying facedown and not moving.
PATIENT E—A young male is swearing and shouting that someone should help him or he will call his lawyer.
PATIENT F—A teenage girl is lying on the ground crying and holding her abdomen.
QUEsTIoNs FoR REsPoNsE
1. For each patient, what is the primary problem requiring treatment? The student(s)
should indicate that management priorities could be based on information gleaned by
surveying all of the victims from a distance. If the student indicates that he or she needs to
examine each of the patients individually before making a decision, the group should discuss
this response. The direction of the discussion should indicate that, while information is being
obtained on one patient, another patient might die from a more serious injury. Also, the
time taken to gather detailed information on all of the patients before establishing
priorities based on that information could lead to disastrous results. If there is doubt
about which one of these patients is most severely injured, based on the available
information, the decision must be made to proceed with the best information available at
the time. The instructor should then provide information that could be obtained by
surveying the situation from a distance, as follows:
PATIENT A—is a young male screaming, “Please help me, my leg is killing me!”
Possible Injury/Problem:The patient has a probable fracture/open fracture of the lower extremity.
PATIENT B—appears to have cyanosis and tachypnea and is breathing noisily.
Possible Injury/Problem:This patient likely has a compromised airway.
PATIENT C—is an older male lying in a pool of blood with his left pant leg soaked in
blood. Possible Injury/Problem:This patient has potential blood loss from an open fracture
or laceration. PATIENT D—is lying facedown and not moving.
Possible Injury/Problem:This patient may be comatose, dead, or have a brain or spine injury.
PATIENT E—is swearing and shouting that someone should help him or he will call his lawyer.
Possible Injury/Problem:: Is this patient hemodynamically normal? This patient may be in shock,
have a psychological problem, or a personality disorder.
PATIENT F—A teenaged girl is lying on the ground crying and holding her
abdomen. Possible Injury/Problem:Does this patient have a torso gunshot
injury?
The instructor should clearly explain that all of the previously outlined information could be
obtained without actually examining any of these patients in detail and that, based on this
information, a triage decision could be made. The instructor may ask, “Suppose you are in doubt
about which patient is most severely injured. How should you respond?” Students should be
prompted to respond that the decision must be made to proceed on the basis of the best
information available at the time.
Go back to last viewed page
, PART B ■ Answers for Appendix F: Triage 649
Based on the information obtained by surveying the patients from a distance, the students
Scenarios
are then asked to triage the victims and give the rationale for their choices. The convergent or
divergent model may be used here to facilitate the discussions.
Go back to last viewed page 64
7
