A stab wound has left a loop of intestine outside the abdomen. How do you care for it?
- Gently push the intestine back in and bandage firmly
- Cover with dry gauze and apply firm direct pressure
- Cover with a moist sterile dressing
- Leave it uncovered and apply an ice pack beside it
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C. Cover with a moist sterile dressing
Exposed organs are kept moist and warm with a saline-moistened sterile dressing under an airtight cover. They are never pushed back in, which can cause contamination and further injury.
Reference: National EMS Education Standards (EMT): Trauma, abdominal injuries, evisceration
A piece of metal is impaled in a patient's thigh. What is the general rule for managing it?
- Stabilize it in place with dressings
- Pull it straight out and apply pressure
- Cut it flush with the skin and bandage
- Push it through to the other side
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A. Stabilize it in place with dressings
An impaled object may be plugging damaged vessels, so it is secured where it is and removed at the hospital. Pulling it out can cause severe bleeding and more tissue damage.
Reference: National EMS Education Standards (EMT): Trauma, soft tissue injuries, impaled objects
Bruising behind the ear (Battle's sign) after a blow to the head suggests which injury?
- A broken lower jaw
- A fracture of the skull base
- A ruptured eardrum with no fracture
- A neck muscle strain
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B. A fracture of the skull base
Bruising behind the ear, bruising around both eyes, and clear fluid from the ears or nose are signs of a basilar skull fracture. These bruises often take hours to appear.
Reference: National EMS Education Standards (EMT): Trauma, head injuries