Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumEmergency Response Plan

A nurse manager is coordinating the on-site medical response following a large residential building collapse. While rapidly assessing the victims on the perimeter, the nurse must determine treatment priorities using standard mass casualty triage guidelines. Which individual meets the criteria for a delayed (yellow) triage tag?

  1. A
    A middle-aged adult found unresponsive and pulseless, who does not resume spontaneous breathing after manual repositioning of the airway.
  2. An older adult sitting on the ground with a suspected femur fracture, a respiratory rate of 22 breaths/min, a palpable radial pulse, and who is answering questions appropriately.Answer
  3. C
    A teenager who has minor lacerations, is crying hysterically, and is actively pacing around the command post.
  4. D
    A young adult lying on the grass with abdominal trauma, a respiratory rate of 34 breaths/min, and who is increasingly restless.

Answer

The client who is unable to walk due to a leg injury but has normal respirations, intact perfusion, and a normal mental status is classified as a delayed (yellow) priority.
In mass casualty triage, a delayed (yellow) tag is assigned to clients who have significant injuries preventing them from walking, but who maintain normal respiratory function (under 30 breaths per minute), adequate perfusion (palpable radial pulse or capillary refill under 2 seconds), and intact mental status (ability to follow simple commands). This client's suspected femur fracture requires definitive care but is not immediately life-threatening.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Assess the client's ability to walk to rule out minimal priority.
The client with the suspected femur fracture is sitting on the ground and unable to walk, which means they are not a green tag.
In disaster triage, any client who can walk away from the scene is immediately designated as walking wounded (green tag), regardless of minor injuries.
2
Evaluate respiratory rate, perfusion, and mental status.
The client has a normal respiratory rate (22 breaths/min), adequate perfusion (palpable radial pulse), and an intact mental status (answering questions appropriately).
A yellow tag is assigned to clients who are not ambulatory but do not have any immediate life-threatening abnormalities in their airway, breathing, circulation, or neurological status.

Key Concept

Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Triage Principles
Rate this question

Topics

Emergency Response Plan

More questions from this topic