ITLS Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield ITLS facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. During the treatment phase of a MCI, how should available medical resources be allocated among patients? → Allocate resources based on patient triage category, prioritizing immediate patients
2. You are treating a patient with signs of compensated hemorrhagic shock. Which of the following findings would you most likely expect to see first? → Tachycardia and cool, clammy skin.
3. What is the correct order of assessment in the ITLS Basic primary survey? → Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Expose
4. A patient with a suspected cervical spine injury is vomiting while secured to a backboard. What is the immediate management? → Tilt the entire backboard to the side as a unit while suctioning
5. When performing CPR on a pregnant patient in cardiac arrest, what modification is most critical? → Manually displace the uterus to the left
6. An 88-year-old nursing home resident was found on the floor with a bruised and shortened, externally rotated right leg. What is the most likely injury? → Hip fracture (femoral neck or intertrochanteric)
7. Which of the following is considered one of the four essential components to maintain normal perfusion? → Fluid levels
8. A patient dove into shallow water and has quadriplegia with loss of sensation below the clavicles. At what spinal level is the injury most likely? → C3-C4
9. Prolonged scene times may reflect: → Ineffective team collaboration
10. A 75-year-old patient with multiple rib fractures is at a significantly higher risk for developing pneumonia compared to a younger patient primarily because of: → Decreased chest wall compliance and an ineffective cough leading to atelectasis.
11. SALT triage stands for: → Sort, Assess, Life-saving interventions, Treatment/transport
12. What finding during the ITLS detailed secondary survey would indicate a ruptured diaphragm? → Bowel sounds heard in the left chest
13. A 32-week pregnant patient has seat-belt marks across her lower abdomen after a high-speed MVC. What injury pattern should be suspected? → Uterine rupture or hollow viscus injury
14. Which breathing change is normal in pregnancy that may mimic respiratory distress? → Hyperventilation with reduced PaCO2
15. A patient has a closed femur fracture with significant thigh swelling. How much blood can be lost into the thigh from this injury alone? → 1000-1500 mL
16. What physiologic change in pregnancy can cause a pregnant patient to tolerate more blood loss before becoming tachycardic? → Increased plasma volume of 40–50%
17. Which pregnant patient is at HIGHEST risk for significant injury from seemingly minor blunt abdominal trauma? → A patient at 36 weeks who was assaulted with a punch to the abdomen
18. A patient with blunt thoracic trauma develops sudden cardiovascular collapse during positive pressure ventilation. What is the most likely cause? → Simple pneumothorax converting to tension pneumothorax
19. Which medication is indicated for a trauma patient exhibiting signs of increased intracranial pressure with a GCS of 7? → Mannitol
20. In START triage, failure to follow simple commands after airway and circulatory assessment indicates the patient should be classified as: → Immediate (red)
21. When managing a 78-year-old trauma patient, which of the following principles is most important to consider? → A ground-level fall should be treated with a high index of suspicion for severe injury.
22. A patient involved in a rollover MVC is ambulatory at the scene and states he feels fine. His vitals are: HR 110, BP 100/70, RR 22. What should the EMT suspect? → The patient may be in compensated shock despite appearing well
23. During patient packaging for transport, which action is essential when securing a patient with a suspected spinal injury to a long backboard? → Secure the torso first, then the head
24. Which of the following best describes a key physiological difference in how children compensate for hemorrhagic shock compared to adults? → Children can maintain a normal blood pressure despite significant blood loss.
25. A pregnant trauma patient at 30 weeks reports she felt the baby 'stop moving' after a car crash 2 hours ago. Which assessment is most important in the field? → Fetal heart tones
26. During a rapid trauma assessment, a patient develops gurgling sounds during ventilation. What does this indicate and what action is needed? → Fluid in the airway; immediate suctioning
27. In a rear-impact motor vehicle crash, which area of the spine is most susceptible to injury? → Cervical
28. When should an incident commander request mutual aid during a mass casualty incident? → Early in the incident when the scope appears to exceed local capability
29. Which of the following is a key component of the ITLS Secondary Survey? → Obtaining a SAMPLE history.
30. How does pregnancy alter the normal location of abdominal organs, potentially changing the presentation of intra-abdominal injury? → The bowel is displaced superiorly, moving pain referral zones upward