TCRN Practice Exam 2026 – Complete Prep for Your Test

The presence of ecchymosis and rebound tenderness is a strong indicator of an injury to the small bowel. Ecchymosis, which refers to discoloration of the skin resulting from bleeding underneath, can suggest internal bleeding that may occur with blunt abdominal trauma or other injuries involving the small bowel. Rebound tenderness is assessed during a physical examination and indicates irritation of the peritoneum, which can occur with an injured bowel. When the peritoneum is inflamed or there is bleeding due to injury, it will often manifest as pain upon release of pressure on the abdomen, highlighting potential underlying issues such as perforation or hematoma in the small bowel.

Other options do not specifically indicate small bowel injury in the same way. Increased heart rate and sweating could result from many conditions, including pain or shock, but they are not specific indicators of small bowel injury. Similarly, high fever and nausea may be related to various gastrointestinal conditions but lack the specificity needed for diagnosing small bowel injury. Visible abdominal distension can have multiple causes, including obstruction or fluid accumulation, and is not definitive for small bowel injury alone. These alternative findings do not provide the targeted evidence of trauma or peritoneal irritation that ecchymosis and rebound tenderness do.