Trauma and burns: blunt cardiac injury: practice question

A General Surgery question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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General Surgery · Trauma and burns: blunt cardiac injury

Sample item

A restrained driver has sternal bruising and chest tenderness after a head-on collision. He is haemodynamically stable. Which initial investigations screen for blunt cardiac injury?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

B. 12-lead ECG and serum troponin

In stable patients with a mechanism for blunt cardiac injury, a 12-lead ECG and cardiac troponin are the screening tests. If either is abnormal, echocardiography is added. Normal results effectively exclude clinically significant injury.

Option by option

  • A. Cardiac MRI

    MRI is not a first-line screening tool in the acute trauma setting.

  • B. 12-lead ECG and serum troponin (correct)

    Correct. ECG and troponin form the initial screen for blunt cardiac injury.

  • C. Exercise stress test

    A stress test is unsafe and inappropriate after acute chest trauma.

  • D. Coronary angiography

    Coronary angiography is invasive and reserved for suspected coronary injury with abnormal findings.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More General Surgery questions

Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is B, 12-lead ECG and serum troponin. In stable patients with a mechanism for blunt cardiac injury, a 12-lead ECG and cardiac troponin are the screening tests.

Why is "Cardiac MRI" not the answer?

MRI is not a first-line screening tool in the acute trauma setting.

Why is "Exercise stress test" not the answer?

A stress test is unsafe and inappropriate after acute chest trauma.

Why is "Coronary angiography" not the answer?

Coronary angiography is invasive and reserved for suspected coronary injury with abnormal findings.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Trauma and burns: blunt cardiac injury in General Surgery. If either is abnormal, echocardiography is added. Normal results effectively exclude clinically significant injury.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Trauma and burns: blunt cardiac injury?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.