Chapter 16 Flashcards
(18 cards)
At a health fair, a patient informs you that she has just been prescribed a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) for her asthma. She is confused about how to take the medication when needed. Which of these statements about the MDI would
be most appropriate for you to make?
A) “Take it every 4 hours around the clock, even if you feel fine
B) Make sure to store the metered-dose inhaler in your refrigerator
C) “You should take the medication only after calling your doctor.”
D) “It is important to shake the inhaler vigorously before taking the medication.”
D) “It is important to shake the inhaler vigorously before taking the medication.”
When arrive on scene, a family member directs you to a bedroom where a 62- year-old male patient is in respiratory distress. During the scene size-up, which finding would most strongly suggest that the patient suffers from a chronic
respiratory disease?
A) Furnace turned on high with the humidifier running
B) Bottles of aspirin and nitroglycerin on the nightstand
C) Patient in a chair in tripod position and has a barrel-shaped chest
D) Smell of cigarettes in house and the patient is obese
C) Patient in a chair in tripod position and has a barrel-shaped chest
You are transporting a 4-year-old female patient whom you found sitting in a chair with labored respirations, inspiratory stridor, and drooling. Which sign or
symptom would warrant immediate reassessment?
A) The stridor ceases
B) The drooling continues.
C) The SpO2 drops from 96% to 95%
D) The patient remains dyspneic
A) The stridor ceases
When assessing a patient who complains of shortness of breath but has an open
airway, which action should the EMT perform next?
A) Ascertain whether the patient has used an MDI
B) Assess the adequacy of the patient’s breathing
C) Get the patient’s SpO2 to 100%
D) Determine the cause of the shortness of breath
B) Assess the adequacy of the patient’s breathing
Your medical director’s written protocol instructs you to obtain online medical direction prior to assisting a patient with a metered-dose inhaler (MDI). Given
this protocol, you must contact:
A) The patient’s family doctor before assisting with the MDI
B) The medical director after assisting with the MDI
C) An emergency physician before assisting with the MDI
D) No one; physician direction is not required when assisting with the MDI
C) An emergency physician before assisting with the MDI
As you enter a room for an unknown medical emergency, you find an unresponsive male with snoring respirations lying supine in bed. Which action
should you take immediately?
A) Take manual spinal motion restriction precautions
B) Perform a head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver
C) Start positive pressure ventilation
D) Suction the airway of fluids
B) Perform a head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver
Medical direction has ordered you to assist a patient in taking his metered-dose inhaler (MDI). After placing the patient’s lips on the mouthpiece, which
instruction would be most appropriate?
A) Please hold your breath and I will administer the medication.”
B) “Please inhale, then hold your breath, and I will give you the medication.”
C) Please inhale slowly and I will administer the medication, then hold your breath.”
D) Please exhale, hold your breath, and I will administer the medication.”
C) Please inhale slowly and I will administer the medication, then hold your breath.
A 67-year-old male patient complains of shortness of breath. The patient cannot remember how many times he used his inhaler prior to your arrival, but he knows it has been multiple times. He is tachypneic and tachycardic. After
administering oxygen, what should be your next action?
A) Call medical direction for advice
B) Assist the patient in the self-administration of his inhaler
C) Transport the patient to the hospital
D) Auscultate the patient’s lung sounds and administer the inhaler if you hear wheezing
A) Call medical direction for advice
You have been called to a residence for a patient with altered mental status and shortness of breath. On scene, an Emergency Medical Responder meets you and states that he believes the patient had a stroke and is unresponsive. As you
enter the room, you see the patient lying in bed with snoring respirations. Oxygen at 15 liters per minute has been applied. Your immediate action when
you reach the patient’s side would be to:
A) Place a nasal airway and suction
B) Start positive pressure ventilation
C) Perform the head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver
D) Determine whether the patient has a pulse
C) Perform the head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver
The EMT is correctly assessing a patient for subcutaneous emphysema when he:
A) Palpates the anterior and posterior chest
B) Listens posteriorly for breath sounds
C) Observes the chest for abnormalities
D) Examines the neck veins for distention
A) Palpates the anterior and posterior chest
You have arrived on scene to find a 32-year-old male patient who complains of rapid breathing, light-headedness, tachycardia, and numbness and tingling to his lips and hands. Family on scene report that he had just received bad advice from his attorney about a pending divorce when the symptoms started. The patient denies chest pain as well as any other past medical history. His pulse is 124, respirations are 52 breaths/min, and his blood pressure is 158/68 mg. What
is your first course of action in treating this patient?
A) Apply a nonrebreather face mask with low-flow oxygen, allowing the patient to rebreathe his exhaled carbon dioxide
B) Monitor for spasms of the hand muscles and administer nitroglycerin
C) Instruct the patient to close his mouth and breathe through his nose
D) Have the patient breathe into a paper bag for approximately 5 minutes
C) Instruct the patient to close his mouth and breathe through his nose
Why would a patient with COPD have a higher percentage of red blood cells
than a healthy person without COPD?
A) To better fight lung infections
B) To make the blood “thinner”
C) To help prevent spontaneous bleeding in the lungs
D) To carry additional oxygen to the cells
D) To carry additional oxygen to the cells
A 71-year-old female patient complains of the sudden onset of shortness of breath and rapid breathing. She also states that she is experiencing some chest pain that seems to worsen when she takes a deep breath. The primary assessment shows her to be alert and oriented with a patent airway and rapid breathing that is adequate. Her pulse rate is 92 and her blood pressure is 116/68 mmHg. When obtaining a history, which of these statements made by the patient should raise your suspicion that the patient may be experiencing a
pulmonary embolism?
A) I think that I may also have a fever.”
B) I had leg surgery five days ago.”
C) I just started a new blood pressure medication today.
D) “I had a headache earlier and took an aspirin
B) I had leg surgery five days ago.”
You have been dispatched to a home for a 16-year-old female patient with shortness of breath. On scene, you find the patient in bed with her mother at her side. Her mother states that her daughter has a fever with a past medical history of cystic fibrosis; she would like to have her daughter transported to the hospital for evaluation of possible pneumonia. As a knowledgeable EMT, you know that the underlying pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis is a:
A) Contagious disease in which the lungs are damaged by bacteria and excessive coughing
B) Condition in which excessive and thick mucus often plugs the airways
C) Disease in which lifelong antibiotic medications are needed for survival
D) Hereditary disease in which the lungs are malformed and smaller than normal
B) Condition in which excessive and thick mucus often plugs the airways
When a child starts to become hypoxic, the pulse will initially:
A) Decrease
B) Not change
C) Become irregular
D) Increase
D) Increase
A 911 call was placed for a 3-year-old child with difficulty breathing. On scene, you note that the child is upright with slight stridor upon inspiration. He is alert and breathing at a rate of 30 breaths/min. His skin is warm and dry, and his radial pulse strong and regular. His breath sounds are clear and equal. His mother states that he was fine all day until 15 minutes ago, when he was playing with friends in the playroom and suddenly started having difficulty breathing. As an EMT, you should suspect which condition?
A) Foreign body airway obstruction
B) Epiglottitis
C) Croup
D) Bronchial asthma
A) Foreign body airway obstruction
After you administer a medication through a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) and the patient has inhaled the medication, it is important that the patient:
A) Exhale through pursed lips
B) Pant for 10 seconds
C) Exhale as forcefully as possible
D) Hold her breath for several seconds
D) Hold her breath for several seconds
You have been called for a 2-year-old male patient who is sick and having a difficult time breathing. On scene, you find the patient in his mother’s arms. He appears to have labored breathing and skin that is warm to the touch. Which of
these additional assessment findings would you recognize as the most serious?
A) Continual crying accompanied by a fever of 99.4°F
B) Respiratory rate of 28 breaths/min
C) Grunting noise heard as the child exhales
D) Slight abdominal movement with breathing
C) Grunting noise heard as the child exhales
