Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Trauma Practice Test

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Prepare for the EMT Trauma Test with detailed flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each question includes hints and explanations to help you succeed. Start your path to certification now!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.


A gang member was cut on the left side of the neck during a fight and is bleeding heavily from the wound. His airway is patent and his breathing is adequate. You should immediately:

  1. Apply a tight pressure dressing and secure it in place with tape

  2. Apply high-flow oxygen via a nonrebreathing mask at 15 L/min

  3. Cover the wound with an occlusive dressing and apply direct pressure

  4. Perform a head-to-toe assessment to find and treat other injuries

The correct answer is: Apply a tight pressure dressing and secure it in place with tape

In this scenario, the immediate priority is to control the bleeding from the wound on the left side of the neck. Applying a tight pressure dressing and securing it in place with tape can help to compress the blood vessels in the injured area and minimize further blood loss. This can be crucial in preventing the individual from going into shock due to significant blood loss. While high-flow oxygen and assessing for other injuries are important steps in providing care to a trauma patient, in this specific case, the key is to address the life-threatening bleeding first. Covering the wound with an occlusive dressing and applying direct pressure may not be sufficient to control the bleeding from a cut on the neck compared to a tight pressure dressing. Therefore, the best immediate action to take in this situation is to apply a tight pressure dressing and secure it in place with tape to help control the bleeding effectively.