1. Thoracic trauma. Chest tube insertion.

A 22 year old man is hypotensive and tachycardic after a shotgun wound to the left shoulder.

His blood after initial IV fluid resuscitation, a closed tube thoracostomy is performed for

decreased left breath sounds

a) reexamine the chest

b) perform an aortogram

c) obtain a CT scan of the chest

d) obtain arterial blood gas analyses

e) perform tranesohageal echocardiography

answer: a.

info: chest tube insertion, p. 108.

2. Musculoskeletal trauma. Extremity trauma.

A construction worker falls two stories from a building and sustains bilateral calcaneal

fractures. In the emergency department, he is alert, vital signs are normal, and he is

complaining of severe pain in both heels and his lower back. Lower extremity pulses are

strong and there is no other deformity. The suspected diagnosis is most likely to be confirmed

by

a) angiography

b) compartment pressures

c) retrograde urethrogram

d) Doppler-ultrasound studies

e) complete spine x-ray series

answer: e.

3. Trauma in women