Air Way Test Prep Flashcards
(130 cards)
1
Q
Which of the following statements regarding normal gas exchange in the lungs is correct?
Correct!
A
Oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse across the alveolar walls and capillaries.
2
Q
Which of the following structures is NOT found in the upper airway?
A
Bronchus
3
Q
The structure located superior to the larynx is called the:
A
epiglottis
4
Q
The __________ cartilage is a firm ring that forms the inferior part of the larynx.
A
cricoid
5
Q
Structures of the lower airway include all of the following, EXCEPT:
A
the epiglottis.
6
Q
The actual exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs in the:
A
alveolar sacs.
7
Q
Which of the following structures is contained within the mediastinum?
A
Esophagus
8
Q
The physical act of moving air into and out of the lungs is called:
A
ventilation
9
Q
Inhalation occurs when the:
A
diaphragm and intercostal muscles contract and cause a decrease in intrathoracic pressure.
10
Q
The diaphragm is innervated by the _________ nerve, which allows it to contract.
A
phrenic
11
Q
The partial pressure of oxygen in the alveoli is _______ mm Hg; the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the alveoli is _______ mm Hg.
A
104, 40
12
Q
Tidal volume is defined as the volume of air that:
A
moves into or out of the lungs in a single breath.
13
Q
What is the alveolar minute volume of a patient with a tidal volume of 500 mL, a dead space volume of 150 mL, and a respiratory rate of 16 breaths/min?
A
5600ml
14
Q
Which of the following factors will cause a reduction in minute volume in an adult?
A
Shallow breathing
15
Q
In contrast to inhalation, exhalation:
A
is a passive process caused by increased intrathoracic pressure.
16
Q
Hypoxia is MOST accurately defined as:
A
inadequate oxygen to the tissues and cells.
17
Q
The hypoxic drive is influenced by:
A
low blood oxygen levels.
18
Q
Which of the following is a late sign of hypoxia?
A
Cyanosis
19
Q
Which of the following statements regarding oxygenation and ventilation is correct?
A
In mines or confined places, where oxygen levels are low, ventilation may continue despite inadequate oxygenation.
20
Q
Each cell of the body combines nutrients and oxygen and produces energy and waste products through a process called:
A
metabolism
21
Q
The process of exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide between the alveoli and the blood of the capillaries is called:
A
external respiration.
22
Q
Gas exchange in the lungs is facilitated by:
A
adequate amounts of surfactant
23
Q
In the presence of oxygen, the cells convert glucose into energy through a process called:
A
aerobic metabolism.
24
Q
Without adequate oxygen, the body’s cells:
A
incompletely convert glucose into energy, and lactic acid accumulates in the blood.
25
The primary waste product of aerobic metabolism is:
carbon dioxide.
26
Central chemoreceptors located in the medulla provide feedback to increase the rate and depth of breathing when they sense:
slight increases in carbon dioxide or a decrease in the pH of the cerebrospinal fluid.
27
A ventilation/perfusion (V/Q ratio) mismatch occurs when:
a disruption in blood flow inhibits the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs, even though the alveoli are filled with fresh oxygen.
28
The presence of elevated carbon dioxide levels in the blood is called:
hypercarbia
29
Intrapulmonary shunting occurs when:
blood coming from the right side of the heart bypasses nonfunctional alveoli and returns to the left side of the heart in an unoxygenated state.
30
An adult at rest should have a respiratory rate that ranges between:
12 and 20 breaths/min.
31
Which of the following patients is breathing adequately?
A conscious male with respirations of 19 breaths/min and pink skin
32
Which of the following statements regarding breathing adequacy is correct?
Patients breathing shallowly may require assisted ventilation despite a normal respiratory rate.
33
Which of the following would NOT cause a decrease in tidal volume?
Deep respirations
34
Irregular respirations characterized by an increasing rate and depth of breathing followed by periods of apnea are called:
Cheyne-Stokes respirations.
35
An unconscious patient found in a prone position must be placed in a supine position in case he or she
requires CPR.
36
You are dispatched to a residence where a middle-aged man was found unconscious in his front yard. There are no witnesses who can tell you what happened. You find him in a prone position; his eyes are closed and he is not moving. Your FIRST action should be to:
log roll him as a unit to a supine position.
37
What is the MOST common cause of airway obstruction in an unconscious patient?
The tongue
38
In which of the following patients would the head tilt-chin lift maneuver be the MOST appropriate method of opening the airway?
A 37-year-old female who is found unconscious in her bed
39
The jaw-thrust maneuver is used to open the airway of patients with suspected:
cervical spine injuries
40
Which of the following patients would MOST likely require insertion of an oropharyngeal airway?
A 40-year-old unconscious patient with slow, shallow respirations
41
A 19-year-old female is found unconscious by her roommate. Your primary assessment reveals that her breathing is inadequate. As you insert an oropharyngeal airway, she begins to gag violently. You should:
remove the airway and be prepared to suction her oropharynx.
42
To select the proper size oropharyngeal airway, you should measure from the:
corner of the mouth to the earlob
43
The nasopharyngeal airway is MOST beneficial because it:
can maintain a patent airway in a semiconscious patient with a gag reflex.
44
The MOST serious complication associated with using a nasopharyngeal airway in a patient with trauma to the head or face is:
penetrating the cranium.
45
A nasopharyngeal airway is inserted:
with the bevel facing the septum if inserted into the right nare.
46
A 71-year-old male is semiconscious following a sudden, severe headache. There is vomitus on his face, and his respirations are slow and shallow. The EMT must immediately:
perform oropharyngeal suctioning.
47
When testing a mechanical suctioning unit, you should turn on the device, clamp the tubing, and ensure that it generates a vacuum pressure of more than:
300 mg hg
48
The MOST significant complication associated with oropharyngeal suctioning is:
hypoxia due to prolonged suction attempts.
49
Proper technique for suctioning the oropharynx of an adult patient includes:
suctioning while withdrawing the catheter from the oropharynx.
50
You have inserted an oral airway and are ventilating an apneic woman with a bag-mask device. She suddenly begins regurgitating large amounts of vomit. You should:
roll her onto her side and remove the oral airway.
51
A 23-year-old male experienced severe head trauma after his motorcycle collided with an oncoming truck. He is unconscious, has agonal gasps, and has copious bloody secretions in his mouth. How should you manage his airway?
Alternate oropharyngeal suctioning and ventilation with a bag-mask device.
52
Which of the following patients should you place in the recovery position?
A 31-year-old semiconscious male with low blood sugar and adequate breathing
53
Which of the following organs or tissues can survive the longest without oxygen?
Muscle
54
The purpose of the pin-indexing system for compressed gas cylinders is to:
ensure that the correct regulator is used for the cylinder.
55
The pressure of gas in a full cylinder of oxygen is approximately _______ pounds per square inch (psi).
2000
56
Which of the following oxygen flowmeters is NOT affected by gravity and can be used in any position when attached to an oxygen cylinder?
Bourdon-gauge flowmeter
57
An oxygen cylinder should be taken out of service and refilled when the pressure inside it is less than:
500 psi
58
Which of the following statements regarding oxygen is correct?
Oxygen supports the combustion process and may cause a fire.
59
Based on current guidelines, in which of the following situations should supplemental oxygen be administered?
Exposure to carbon monoxide and an oxygen saturation of 94%
60
A patient who is suspected of being hypoxic and is breathing adequately should be given supplemental oxygen with a:
nonrebreathing mask.
61
A patient who is suspected of being hypoxic and is breathing adequately should be given supplemental oxygen with a:
nonrebreathing mask.
62
With a good mask-to-face seal and an oxygen flow rate of 15 L/min, the nonrebreathing mask is capable of delivering up to ______% inspired oxygen.
90
63
Prior to applying a nonrebreathing mask to a patient, you must ensure that the:
reservoir bag is fully inflated.
64
At a flow rate of 6 L/min, a nasal cannula can deliver an approximate oxygen concentration of up to:
44%
65
The nasal cannula is MOST appropriately used in the prehospital setting:
when the patient cannot tolerate a nonrebreathing mask.
66
For which of the following conditions would the EMT most likely administer humidified oxygen?
Croup
67
A 51-year-old female presents with a sudden onset of difficulty breathing. She is conscious and alert and able to speak in complete sentences. Her respirations are 22 breaths/min and regular. You should:
administer oxygen via a nonrebreathing mask.
68
What occurs when a patient is breathing very rapidly and shallowly?
Air moves primarily in the anatomic dead space and does not participate in pulmonary gas exchange.
69
As the single EMT managing an apneic patient's airway, the preferred initial method of providing ventilations is the:
mouth-to-mask technique with a one-way valve.
70
You and your partner are treating a 66-year-old man who experienced a sudden onset of respiratory distress. He is conscious but is unable to follow simple verbal commands. Further assessment reveals that his breathing is severely labored and his oxygen saturation is 80%. You should:
assist his ventilations with a bag-mask device.
71
Which of the following statements regarding positive-pressure ventilation is correct?
With positive-pressure ventilation, more volume is required to have the same effects as normal breathing.
72
How does positive-pressure ventilation affect cardiac output?
It increases intrathoracic pressure, which decreases venous return to the heart and causes a decrease in cardiac output.
73
You are ventilating a 40-year-old uninjured man who is apneic but has a pulse. When your partner reassesses his blood pressure, she notes that he has decreased significantly from previous readings. You should:
reduce the rate or volume of the ventilations you are delivering.
74
You are performing bag-mask ventilations with oxygen connected and set at a flow rate of 15 L/min. What percentage of oxygen are you delivering?
Nearly 100%
75
You are ventilating a 40-year-old uninjured man who is apneic but has a pulse. When your partner reassesses his blood pressure, she notes that he has decreased significantly from previous readings. You should:
reduce the rate or volume of the ventilations you are delivering.
76
. You and your partner are caring for a critically injured patient who is unresponsive and apneic. Your partner is controlling severe bleeding from the patient's lower extremities as you attempt ventilations with a bag-mask device. After repositioning the mask several times, you are unable to effectively ventilate the patient. You should:
insert an oropharyngeal airway and reattempt ventilations.
77
Which of the following statements regarding the one-person bag-mask technique is correct?
Adequate tidal volume is often difficult to achieve when one EMT is operating the bag-mask device.
78
All of the following will help minimize the risk of gastric distention when ventilating an apneic patient with a bag-mask device, EXCEPT:
increasing the amount of delivered tidal volume.
79
Which of the following is the MOST reliable indicator of adequately performed bag-mask ventilations in an apneic adult with a pulse?
Adequate rise of the chest when squeezing the bag
80
Your protocols state that during the first few minutes of working on a cardiac arrest patient, you should provide passive ventilation. This means that you will:
allow recoil of the chest between compressions to draw air into the lungs.
81
High-flow oxygen with a nasal cannula during the preoxygenation phase of endotracheal intubation is called:
apneic oxygenation.
82
How does CPAP improve oxygenation and ventilation in patients with certain respiratory problems?
It forces the alveoli open and increases the concentration of oxygen in the alveoli.
83
CPAP is indicated for patients who:
have pulmonary edema and can follow verbal commands.
84
You are ventilating a patient with a stoma; however, air is escaping from the mouth and nose. To prevent this, you should:
seal the mouth and nose.
85
A 37-year-old male has an apparent foreign body airway obstruction. He is conscious and alert and is coughing forcefully. His skin is pink, warm, and moist. The MOST appropriate treatment for this patient includes:
encouraging him to cough and transporting.
86
While eating dinner, your partner suddenly grabs his throat and has a panicked look on his face. He is unable to cough and becomes cyanotic around the lips. You should:
stand behind him and administer abdominal thrusts.
87
During your assessment of a patient with respiratory distress, you hear wheezing when listening to breath sounds. This indicates:
a lower airway obstruction.
88
You are ventilating an apneic woman with a bag-mask device. She has dentures, which are tight fitting. Adequate chest rise is present with each ventilation, and the patient's oxygen saturation reads 96%. When you reassess the patency of her airway, you note that her dentures are now loose, although your ventilations are still producing adequate chest rise. You should:
remove her dentures, resume ventilations, and assess for adequate chest rise.
89
While providing CPAP to a patient in severe respiratory distress, you note that his heart rate has increased by 20 beats/min. He is conscious, but is no longer following verbal commands. You should:
remove the CPAP device and ventilate him with a bag-mask device.
90
Which of the following would cause an increase in the amount of exhaled carbon dioxide?
Increased cardiac output
91
A man was found unresponsive in his bed at home. There is no evidence of injury, and the patient's medical history is not known. The patient's face is cherry red, yet the pulse oximeter reads 98%. Which of the following would MOST likely explain this?
Carbon monoxide poisoning
92
Dyspnea is MOST accurately defined as:
shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
93
In what area of the lungs does respiration occur?
Alveoli
94
The two processes that occur during respiration are:
inspiration and expiration.
95
In order for efficient pulmonary gas exchange to occur:
oxygen and carbon dioxide must be able to freely diffuse across the alveolar-capillary membrane
96
In a healthy individual, the brain stem stimulates breathing on the basis of:
increased carbon dioxide levels.
97
When the level of arterial carbon dioxide rises above normal:
respirations increase in rate and depth.
98
Which of the following is MOST characteristic of adequate breathing?
24 breaths/min with bilaterally equal breath sounds and pink skin
99
An alert patient presents with a regular pattern of inhalation and exhalation and breath sounds that are clear and equal on both sides of the chest. These findings are consistent with:
adequate air exchange.
100
Which of the following statements regarding the hypoxic drive is correct?
Correct!
The hypoxic drive stimulates a person to breathe on the basis of low oxygen levels.
101
When administering supplemental oxygen to a hypoxemic patient with a chronic lung disease, you should:
adjust the flow rate accordingly until you see symptom improvement, but be prepared to assist his or her ventilations.
102
Which of the following conditions would be LEAST likely to result in hypoxia?
Severe anxiety
103
Treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) would MOST likely be contraindicated in which of the following situations?
Shortness of breath and a blood pressure of 76/56 mm Hg
104
Acute pulmonary edema would MOST likely develop as the result of:
toxic chemical inhalation.
105
The respiratory distress that accompanies emphysema is caused by:
chronic stretching of the alveolar walls.
106
Asthma is caused by a response of the:
immune system.
107
At the onset of an acute asthma attack, patients commonly experience difficulty breathing and:
audible stridor.
108
Which of the following statements regarding anaphylaxis is correct?
Anaphylaxis is characterized by airway swelling and hypotension.
109
A 30-year-old male presents with acute shortness of breath, widespread hives, and facial swelling. He denies any past medical history and takes no medications. During your assessment, you hear wheezing over all lung fields. His blood pressure is 90/50 mm Hg, and his heart rate is 110 beats/min. In addition to giving him high-flow oxygen, the MOST important treatment for this patient is:
epinephrine
110
A 59-year-old male with a history of emphysema complains of an acute worsening of his dyspnea and pleuritic chest pain following a forceful cough. Your assessment reveals that he has a barrel-shaped chest, unilaterally diminished breath sounds, and tachycardia. What is the MOST likely cause of this patient's condition?
Spontaneous pneumothorax
111
A pleural effusion is MOST accurately defined as:
fluid accumulation outside the lung.
112
You are dispatched to a residence for a 67-year-old female who was awakened by shortness of breath and sharp chest pain. Her husband tells you that she was recently discharged from the hospital after having hip surgery. Your assessment reveals dried blood around her mouth, facial cyanosis, and an oxygen saturation of 88%. You should suspect:
acute pulmonary embolism.
113
Hyperventilation could be associated with all of the following, EXCEPT:
a narcotic overdose.
114
A young female is unconscious after intentionally ingesting a large amount of aspirin. You will MOST likely find her respirations:
deep and rapid.
115
Alkalosis is a condition that occurs when:
blood acidity is reduced by excessive breathing.
116
Common signs and symptoms of acute hyperventilation syndrome include:
tachypnea and tingling in the extremities.
117
A 60-year-old male presents with acute respiratory distress. He is conscious and alert, has pink and dry skin, and has respirations of 22 breaths/min with adequate depth. Which of the following treatments is MOST appropriate for this patient?
Oxygen via nonrebreathing mask and a focused secondary assessment
118
You receive a call for a 70-year-old female with respiratory distress. Her husband tells you that she has congestive heart failure; however, he does not think that she has been taking her medications as prescribed. The patient is laboring to breathe, appears tired, and has cyanosis around her lips. You should:
assist her ventilations with a bag-mask device.
119
When auscultating the lungs of a patient with respiratory distress, you hear adventitious sounds. This means that the patient has:
abnormal breath sounds.
120
When assessing for fluid collection in the lungs during auscultation of lung sounds, you should:
start at the lower lung fields and determine at which level you start hearing clear breath sounds.
121
While auscultating an elderly woman's breath sounds, you hear low-pitched "rattling" sounds at the bases of both of her lungs. This finding is MOST consistent with which of the following conditions?
Aspiration pneumonia
122
Harsh, high-pitched inspiratory sounds are characteristic of:
Stridor
123
A conscious and alert 29-year-old female with a history of asthma complains of difficulty breathing that began after her morning jog. The temperature outside is 40°F (5°C). On exam, you hear bilateral expiratory wheezing. After providing supplemental oxygen, you should:
determine if she has been prescribed a beta-agonist inhaler.
124
Which of the following statements regarding pulse oximetry is correct?
Pulse oximetry measures the percentage of hemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen but does not measure the actual hemoglobin content of the blood.
125
You are dispatched to an apartment complex where a 21-year-old female has apparently overdosed on several narcotic medications. She is semiconscious and has slow, shallow respirations. You should:
insert a nasopharyngeal airway and begin assisted ventilation.
126
Albuterol is a generic name for:
Ventolin
127
You are assisting an asthma patient with his prescribed metered-dose inhaler. After the patient exhales, and before inhaling, the patient should put his or her lips around the inhaler, take a deep breath, and depress the inhale. You should:
instruct him to hold his breath for as long as he comfortably can.
128
A 22-year-old female patient is complaining of dyspnea and numbness and tingling in her hands and feet after an argument with her fiancé. Her respirations are 40 breaths/min. You should:
provide reassurance and give oxygen as needed.
129
A 62-year-old man with a history of congestive heart failure presents with severe respiratory distress and with an oxygen saturation of 82%. When you auscultate his lungs, you hear widespread rales. He is conscious and alert, is able to follow simple commands, and can only speak in two- to three-word sentences at a time. You should:
apply a CPAP device, monitor his blood pressure, and observe him for signs of improvement or deterioration.
130
You are assessing a patient with respiratory distress and are unsure if the cause is congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Which of the following clinical signs would be the MOST helpful in determining whether the patient has chronic heart failure or COPD?
Jugular vein distention
