Chapter 34: Chest Trauma Practice Flashcards

Flashcards based on the Prehospital Emergency Care 12th Ed. Chapter 34 quiz and review materials regarding chest trauma assessment and management.

What specific injury occurs when two or more ribs are fractured in two or more places?

A flail segment

When a patient presents with jugular venous distention, respiratory distress, and hypotension following a closed chest injury, what should the EMT suspect?

A tension pneumothorax

How should a screwdriver impaled in the chest be managed?

By stabilizing it with a bulky dressing

If a patient develops respiratory distress after an occlusive dressing has been applied to a chest wound, what action should the EMT take?

Lift a corner of the dressing to allow pressure to escape

Why can a pulmonary contusion be life-threatening?

It can reduce oxygen exchange via the alveoli

What type of pressure change occurs in the chest during traumatic asphyxia?

A rapid increase in pressure

In a cardiac contusion, what area of the heart is most likely to be injured?

The right ventricle

Which common cause is identified for cardiac tamponade?

A stab wound to the heart

According to the review, what is the aorta, vena cava, esophagus, and trachea located in?

The mediastinum, a hollow area in the center of the thoracic cavity

What is the term for the grating sound or sensation produced by fractured ribs?

Crepitus or crepitation