Trauma and burns: primary blast 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.

Try it

General Surgery · Trauma and burns: primary blast injury

Sample item

A man survives a bomb explosion with no external wounds, but later has ear pain, haemoptysis and breathlessness. Which feature of primary blast injury explains this?

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

The answer and the reasoning

B. The pressure wave injures gas-filled structures such as the tympanic membrane and lung

Primary blast injury is caused by the overpressure wave and affects air-containing organs: the ear, lung (blast lung) and bowel. Secondary injury is by fragments, tertiary by being thrown, and quaternary by burns or crush.

Option by option

  • A. Burns from the fireball injured his airway

    Burns and inhalation injury are quaternary blast effects.

  • B. The pressure wave injures gas-filled structures such as the tympanic membrane and lung (correct)

    Correct. The overpressure wave damages tissues with air-fluid interfaces, such as ear, lung and bowel.

  • C. Flying fragments penetrate the chest wall

    Penetration by fragments is secondary blast injury.

  • D. He was thrown against a wall by the blast wind

    Displacement of the body by blast wind is tertiary blast injury.

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, The pressure wave injures gas-filled structures such as the tympanic membrane and lung. Primary blast injury is caused by the overpressure wave and affects air-containing organs: the ear, lung (blast lung) and bowel.

Why is "Burns from the fireball injured his airway" not the answer?

Burns and inhalation injury are quaternary blast effects.

Why is "Flying fragments penetrate the chest wall" not the answer?

Penetration by fragments is secondary blast injury.

Why is "He was thrown against a wall by the blast wind" not the answer?

Displacement of the body by blast wind is tertiary blast injury.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Trauma and burns: primary blast injury in General Surgery. Secondary injury is by fragments, tertiary by being thrown, and quaternary by burns or crush.

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: primary blast 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.