Emergency response personnel arrive at the site of a collapsed ...

[bobypop]

Emergency response personnel arrive at the site of a collapsed building. Some victims are walking away from the building, while others are lying on the ground around the perimeter.
 
  If implementing reverse triage, what should the emergency personnel do first?
 
  1. Identify one safe location for all ambulatory victims to be assessed and observed.
  2. Systematically assess each victim lying on the ground and assign a color.
  3. Enter the building to locate other victims who might not have been able to leave before the collapse.
  4. Transfer the victims on the ground to stretchers and send them to the local emergency department.

Question 2

A victim of a chemical plant explosion is unconscious and brought into the emergency department. For what should the nurse assess this patient?
 
  1. central nervous system injury
  2. respiratory system injury
  3. pulmonary emboli
  4. radiation sickness

[TDubDCFL]

Answer to Question 1

Correct Answer: 1

Reverse triage works on the principle of the greatest good for the greatest number of people. The emergency personnel should first identify one safe location for all ambulatory victims to be assessed and observed. Systematically assessing the victims on the ground and assigning colors is not following the principle of reverse triage. Entering the building to locate other victims would be done after all victims who are ambulatory or on the ground are assessed and treated. Transferring victims on the ground to stretches and sending them to local emergency departments is done after systematic assessment.

Answer to Question 2

Correct Answer: 1

The patient who is unconscious after an explosion should be further assessed for a concussion, closed and open brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, or air embolism-induced injury. Respiratory system injuries would manifest as hemothorax, pneumothorax, or pulmonary contusion and hemorrhage. Pulmonary emboli can occur with respiratory or cardiac system injuries. Evidence of radiation sickness includes nausea, diarrhea, and malaise.