Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

In trauma patients who present with hypotension or signs of shock, internal bleeding is a highly likely cause due to the mechanisms involved in traumatic injuries. Trauma can often lead to significant vascular injury, resulting in hemorrhage. When blood volume decreases due to internal bleeding, the heart is not able to maintain adequate cardiac output, leading to hypotension.

This condition often occurs in severe trauma scenarios, such as motor vehicle accidents or falls from heights, where major blood vessels can be damaged, or organs can be lacerated. The body responds to this significant blood loss with compensatory mechanisms initially; however, as the bleeding continues and the volume decreases, these compensatory mechanisms can fail, leading to shock.

While severe dehydration, heart failure, and respiratory distress can all lead to hypotension, they are not as directly associated with trauma as internal bleeding is. Severe dehydration typically develops over time and is less common in acute trauma settings. Heart failure might be a concern if the patient has a history of cardiac issues, but it is not the primary concern in the context of acute trauma. Respiratory distress can complicate trauma cases, but it does not directly cause the hypotension that stems from a loss of blood volume following internal bleeding. Thus, internal bleeding is the