Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Trauma Practice Test

A 22-year-old female fell on her knee and is in severe pain. Her knee is flexed and severely deformed. Her leg is cold to the touch and you are unable to palpate a distal pulse. You should:

1. apply gentle longitudinal traction as you straighten her leg and then apply a traction splint

2. carefully straighten her leg until you restore a distal pulse and then apply padded board splints

3. manually stabilize her injury and contact medical control for further stabilization instructions

4. place a pillow behind her knee and stabilize the injury by applying padded board splints

The correct answer is: apply gentle longitudinal traction as you straighten her leg and then apply a traction splint

In this scenario, the patient is presenting with signs of a severe knee injury, including severe pain, knee deformity, cold extremity, and the absence of a distal pulse. These signs suggest the possibility of vascular compromise, which can lead to serious complications if not addressed promptly. The correct course of action in this situation is to apply gentle longitudinal traction as you straighten the patient's leg. This technique aims to realign the bones and tissues, potentially relieving pressure on the blood vessels and restoring blood flow to the lower leg. Once the leg is straightened, a traction splint should be applied to maintain the alignment and provide further stabilization during transport. Options B, C, and D are not the best choices in this scenario. Straightening the leg without addressing the vascular compromise first (Option B) can potentially worsen the injury. Contacting medical control for further stabilization instructions (Option C) may lead to unnecessary delays in providing appropriate care. Placing a pillow behind the knee and applying padded board splints (Option D) does not address the potential vascular compromise and may not provide adequate stabilization for this type of injury.