Trauma & Emergency Surgery Flashcards
7 cards from real CST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Trauma & Emergency Surgery flashcards as text
During a damage control laparotomy, the scrub tech should anticipate packing the abdomen with which material to control hemorrhage temporarily?
Answer: Lap sponges (laparotomy pads)
Laparotomy pads (lap sponges) are used for abdominal packing in damage control surgery to tamponade bleeding until the patient is stabilized for definitive repair.
A trauma patient arrives with a suspected tension pneumothorax. The FIRST intervention before chest tube insertion is:
Answer: Needle decompression at the 2nd intercostal space midclavicular line
Needle decompression immediately relieves the life-threatening pressure of a tension pneumothorax before a formal chest tube can be placed.
Which retractor is most commonly used to provide exposure during an emergency exploratory laparotomy?
Answer: Balfour self-retaining retractor
The Balfour self-retaining retractor provides broad, stable abdominal wall retraction needed for rapid exploration during emergency laparotomy.
In a trauma case involving a Grade IV liver laceration, the scrub tech should have immediately available:
Answer: Pringle maneuver clamp, suction, and hemostatic agents
Grade IV liver lacerations require hemorrhage control via Pringle maneuver (vascular clamping of the porta hepatis), aggressive suction, and hemostatic adjuncts.
When a patient sustains a traumatic amputation in the field, the amputated part should be transported by:
Answer: Wrapping in moist saline gauze, placing in a sealed bag on ice
The amputated part is wrapped in moist saline gauze, sealed in a bag, and placed on ice — never in direct contact with ice — to preserve viability for replantation.
During an emergency cricothyrotomy, the incision is made through which membrane?
Answer: Cricothyroid membrane
The cricothyroid membrane, located between the thyroid and cricoid cartilages, is the site of incision for emergent cricothyrotomy to establish an airway.
The scrub technician's PRIMARY role during a massive hemorrhage requiring emergency thoracotomy is:
Answer: Anticipating instrument needs and maintaining a sterile field while passing instruments efficiently
The scrub tech's primary role is sterile field maintenance and rapid, accurate instrument passing to support the surgical team during emergency thoracotomy.