ITLS Triage and Mass Casualty Incidents 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: JumpSTART is a modification of START triage designed specifically for:
- Geriatric patients over age 65
- Burn victims with greater than 20% BSA burns
- Pediatric patients (Correct answer)
- Patients with suspected spinal injuries
Correct answer: Pediatric patients
JumpSTART was developed to address the physiological differences in children during mass casualty triage, as children have different normal vital signs than adults.
Question 2: In JumpSTART triage, if an apneic child has a palpable peripheral pulse, the rescuer should:
- Tag the child expectant immediately and move on
- Administer 5 rescue breaths and reassess breathing (Correct answer)
- Begin full CPR with chest compressions
- Tag the child immediate without intervention
Correct answer: Administer 5 rescue breaths and reassess breathing
JumpSTART allows 5 rescue breaths in apneic children with a pulse because pediatric respiratory arrest may be reversible, unlike the adult cardiac-first arrest pattern.
Question 3: In the Incident Command System (ICS), 'span of control' refers to:
- The geographic area controlled by a single unit
- The number of subordinates one supervisor can effectively manage (Correct answer)
- The chain of command from field to hospital administration
- The number of transport units available to an incident
Correct answer: The number of subordinates one supervisor can effectively manage
Span of control in ICS refers to the optimal number of subordinates a supervisor can effectively manage, typically 3-7 with an ideal of 5.
Question 4: The primary purpose of establishing a Casualty Collection Point (CCP) during a MCI is to:
- Provide definitive surgical care to all patients on scene
- Gather and sort casualties for organized evaluation and transport (Correct answer)
- Store medical equipment and pharmaceutical supplies
- Serve as the incident command post for scene management
Correct answer: Gather and sort casualties for organized evaluation and transport
A Casualty Collection Point is a designated area where casualties are gathered, reassessed, and prepared for organized transport to medical facilities.
Question 5: Which ICS position is directly responsible for coordinating all medical treatment and transport resources at a MCI?
- Logistics Section Chief
- Safety Officer
- Medical Branch Director (Correct answer)
- Public Information Officer
Correct answer: Medical Branch Director
The Medical Branch Director oversees all medical operations at the scene, including triage, treatment, and coordination of patient transport.
Question 6: Why is early hospital notification critical during a mass casualty incident?
- It allows hospitals to reduce ED staffing and conserve resources
- It allows hospitals to activate their emergency operations plan and prepare for patient surge (Correct answer)
- It enables hospitals to redirect all ambulances to alternate facilities
- It allows hospitals to contact the media for public information release
Correct answer: It allows hospitals to activate their emergency operations plan and prepare for patient surge
Early notification allows receiving hospitals to activate mass casualty plans, call in additional staff, and prepare treatment areas well before patient arrival.
Question 7: Patients classified as 'delayed' (yellow) in a MCI triage system are characterized by:
- Minor injuries requiring only basic self-care
- Immediately life-threatening conditions requiring urgent intervention
- Serious but non-immediately life-threatening injuries that can temporarily wait (Correct answer)
- Unsurvivable injuries regardless of available intervention
Correct answer: Serious but non-immediately life-threatening injuries that can temporarily wait
Delayed (yellow) patients have significant injuries that are stable enough to wait for treatment without immediate risk of death under MCI conditions.
ITLS Triage and Mass Casualty Incidents 2
JumpSTART is a modification of START triage designed specifically for: