Test Yourself: Can You Answer this ABS Qualifying Exam Question from TrueLearn’s SmartBank?

It’s been proven there is no better way to prepare for the ABS Qualifying Exam, ABSITE and ABS MOC Exam than by testing yourself on quality practice questions. TrueLearn’s General Surgery SmartBank is chock-full of questions written by board-certified physicians.

Quality questions paired with detailed answer explanations allow residents and re-certifying physicians to test themselves on the content and review the full context of why answers are correct or incorrect.

Test yourself on TrueLearn’s General Surgery question of the month.

TRUELEARN’S ABS QUALIFYING EXAM QUESTION OF THE MONTH

Q: A 35-year-old female involved in a motor vehicle accident reports that her knees hit the dashboard during the accident. On exam, she has a flexed, shortened, internally rotated, abducted right lower extremity.

What associated injury should she be evaluated for?

A. Bladder

B. Popliteal Artery

C. Sciatic Nerve

D. Obturator Artery

E. Femoral Vein

The correct answer and answer explanations are listed below.

A Note From The Physician Director, Dr. Matthew Sharbaugh

This question is an excellent example of the depth to the TrueLearn question bank. The question takes the reader from the point of injury in this trauma patient to the post-injury physical examination and ultimately asking the reader about the injured structure.  

This question highlights real-time decision making in the trauma bay. Often EMS will provide the on-scene descriptors, the trauma team will examine the patient and discover the associated injuries.  These realistic style questions help aid the student to not only pass a written test but to make quick real-time decisions in the care of the critically ill.

The Correct Answer is: C

The patient presents with a posterior hip dislocation. This injury typically occurs from a longitudinally directed force applied through the femur to a flexed hip, often when a patient’s knee strikes the dashboard in an automobile head-on collision.

Once a patient has undergone initial stabilization, the posterior hip dislocation should be reduced with longitudinal traction followed by gentle abduction and external rotation. If the reduction is unstable, fixation of the posterior wall is indicated. Displacement of the femoral head or acetabulum may injure the sciatic, femoral, or obturator nerve. Diagnostic injury patterns are:

• Supracondylar humerus fracture – Brachial artery injury (may lead to Volkmann’s ischemic contracture)
• Distal radius fracture – Median nerve compression
• Anterior dislocation of shoulder – Axillary nerve injury
• Posterior dislocation of hip – Sciatic nerve (peroneal division) injury
• Posterior dislocation of the knee – Popliteal artery injury

Answer Explanations

Answer A: Bladder injuries are associated with pelvic fractures.

Answer B: Popliteal artery injuries are associated with posterior dislocation of the knee.

Answer D: Obturator artery injuries are associated with pelvic fractures.

Answer E: Femoral vein injury is more associated with penetrating trauma or femur fractures.

Bottom Line: Posterior dislocation of the hip may be associated with a concomitant sciatic nerve (peroneal division) injury

Insight: Memorize the above list of injury patterns. You are guaranteed a few easy questions on these.

Looking for more practice questions?

TrueLearn’s General Surgery SmartBank is full of practice questions written by board-certified physicians. Whether you are preparing for the ABS Qualifying Exam or ABSITE, TrueLearn’s SmartBank can help you achieve your desired results.

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