Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Practice Exam 2025 - Comprehensive All-in-One Guide for Exam Success!

When a patient presents with an altered level of consciousness, the immediate concern is to identify potential central nervous system (CNS) injuries. Such injuries can arise from various scenarios, including trauma, stroke, infections, or metabolic disturbances. Because the CNS is responsible for regulating consciousness, any dysfunction or insult to it can lead to changes in a patient's mental status.

CNS injuries encompass a wide range of conditions, from traumatic brain injuries to non-traumatic causes like seizures or encephalopathy. Identifying a CNS cause as the underlying issue is critical because it guides further diagnostic work-up and treatment.

While conditions like alcohol intoxication, cardiac arrest, and cerebral infarction can contribute to altered consciousness, they are often considered in the context of ruling out broader CNS injuries first. For instance, alcohol intoxication is one cause of altered consciousness but would be evaluated as part of the broader assessment of possible CNS injury. Similarly, a cardiac arrest might lead to loss of consciousness due to hypoxia affecting the CNS, but the primary concern is the direct effect of CNS pathology. Similarly, cerebral infarction represents a particular type of CNS injury, but it arises after the broader category has been considered.

Therefore, the suspicion of a CNS injury remains paramount until further evaluations prove