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

Acceleration and deceleration forces in blunt trauma lead to significant stretching and tearing injuries to internal organs and blood vessels. These forces can create rapid shifts in motion when a body is subjected to violent movements, such as during high-speed collisions or falls. As the body comes to a sudden stop while internal structures continue moving, the disparity can result in the stretching of vessels and organs, which may lead to lacerations or ruptures.

This mechanism of injury is particularly relevant in situations where there is a difference in inertia between the solid structures of the body (such as bones) and more mobile structures like blood vessels and soft tissue. For example, the aorta can be particularly vulnerable to such forces, which can cause life-threatening injuries.

While fractures, bruising, and burns may also occur in blunt trauma cases, they are not the primary injuries associated with acceleration and deceleration forces. Fractures result from direct impact or stress beyond the bone's limits, bruising commonly arises from blunt force trauma directly affecting soft tissues, and burns are typically the consequence of thermal or chemical injury, not acceleration/deceleration mechanisms. Thus, option B accurately captures the specific type of injury most likely to result from these forces in blunt trauma.