CHAPTER 9: MANAGEMENT OF INJURIES AND
ACUTE ILLNESS
Answers to Review Questions
ANSWERS TO CASE STUDY
1. Someone should call 911 if there is any question about the child’s history of seizures. The
child should be lowered to the floor and observed carefully for breathing. Furniture and
objects should be moved out of the way and tight clothing loosened to facilitate breathing.
When the seizure subsides, the child should be placed in the recovery position.
2. Emergency medical personnel should be called at once if a child has no prior history of
seizures.
3. The child’s family should be notified immediately so that they are aware of the situation and
can be involved in any decision-making.
4. Some individuals experience seizures triggered by certain smells, sounds, or patterns of light;
however, these cases are not common.
5. Assuming the child has a history of seizures, emergency medical personnel should be called
if a seizure lasts longer than five to ten minutes or if the child is having difficulty breathing.
6. The following information should be recorded: length of time the seizure lasted, parts of the
child’s body affected during the seizure, any difficulty breathing or loss of urine/feces,
condition of the child following the seizure, and time parents were notified.
ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW
A. By Yourself
1. Answers to the completion exercise:
a. breathing
b. emergency
c. plans
d. resuscitation
e. evaluate
f. pressure
g. airway
h. responsible
i. evaluating
j. diagnose
A basic principle of first aid is: be prepared.
2. The emergency ABCs stand for: Airway (making sure the airway is open and allows the
passage of air); Breathing (watch the victim’s chest for movement; feel/listen for air to
escape from their lungs); and, Circulation (assess the victim’s skin color and any movement).
3. The Good Samaritan Law protects individuals from liability when they administer
emergency treatment in a reasonable manner. The purpose of this law is to encourage
individuals to perform life-saving treatment without fear of being sued.
4. Burns are classified according to the depth of injury. First degree burns cause surface skin to
become red and painful; treatment involves quickly cooling the area with water. Second
degree burns cause the skin’s surface to become red, blistered, and painful; treatment
involves quickly cooling the area with water and seeking medical care if the burns involve a
child, are larger than a quarter, or affect certain areas, such as the hands, bottom of feet,
genitals, face, or neck. Third degree burns are deep and less painful because they destroy
underlying tissue; burned areas should be covered with a sterile dressing and the victim
transported quickly to the nearest medical facility for emergency care.
B. As a Group
1. Signs of severe head injury may develop within the first few hours or up to 48 hours
following a blow. Slow internal bleeding and/or swelling may develop inside of the child’s
head and cause delayed, life-threatening symptoms, including weakness or paralysis, poor
coordination, unequal pupil size, slurring or difficult speech, double vision, seizures and/or
areas of increased swelling on the scalp.
2. a). Nosebleed: place the child in an upright position, pinch nostrils together for at least 5
minutes.
b). Seizure: call for emergency medical assistance if this is the child’s first seizure or if it
lasts longer than 5-10 minutes or the child develops breathing difficulty. Lower the child to
the floor, place something soft under his/her head, loosen tight clothing, move furniture
away, and observe until the seizure ends. Place the child in a recovery position, encourage
rest, and record all observations.
c). Choking: call for emergency medical assistance and begin the Heimlich maneuver as
long as the child is breathing and coughing.
d). Asthma attack: have the child assume an upright position, administer medications if they
have been prescribed, reassure the child, and try to keep him/her calm. Call for emergency
medical assistance if the child shows signs of respiratory distress or loses consciousness.
e). Shock: this child is experiencing shock and should lie down with his/her feet elevated 810 inches. If chilled, cover with a light blanket and call for emergency medical assistance.
3. Coughing is often sufficient to expel the object on which a child may be choking. However,
the Heimlich should be initiated if the child’s breathing becomes labored, his/her cough
becomes weak, the skin around the nose and mouth appear a bluish color, or the child is
unresponsive.
4. In many instances, the symptoms of these diabetic complications are opposites. For example,
in hypoglycemia the onset is fairly quick and the person’s skin is cool, pale and clammy.
Treatment requires giving the person a sugar source, preferably orange juice or commercial
glucose substitute. With hyperglycemia, the onset is gradual, the skin is flushed and dry, and
the person’s breath has a fruity odor. Treatment requires a prompt medical response; call for
emergency medical assistance at once so the victim can be transported to a health care
facility where insulin will be administered intravenously.