Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC) Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Prepare for the Trauma Nurse Core Course Test. Revise with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question includes helpful hints and detailed explanations to improve your understanding. Get exam ready now!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

What CIWA-Ar value indicates the need for alcohol withdrawal interventions?

CIWA-Ar of 36
GCS of 13
ETCo2 of 48 mm Hg
Heart rate of 45 beats/min

The correct answer is: CIWA-Ar of 36

A CIWA-Ar value of 36 indicates a severe level of alcohol withdrawal symptoms, which necessitates immediate intervention. The CIWA-Ar, or Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised, is a standardized tool used to assess the severity of alcohol withdrawal. Scores on this scale range from 0 to 67, with higher scores signifying more severe withdrawal symptoms. A score of 36 suggests that the patient is experiencing significant distress and potential complications from withdrawal, warranting prompt medical management such as medication administration or supportive care. The other parameters mentioned—GCS, ETCO2, and heart rate—are important indicators of a patient's overall condition but are not specifically related to assessing alcohol withdrawal severity. For instance, while a GCS score can indicate a level of consciousness, it does not provide information about alcohol withdrawal. High ETCO2 may suggest respiratory issues, and an extremely low heart rate could indicate bradycardia, but these findings do not directly correlate with the need for alcohol withdrawal interventions as clearly as a CIWA-Ar score does.