chapter 14

Which of the following conditions would be LEAST likely to result in cerebral hypoxia?

Methamphetamine overdose

Which of the following physiologic processes occurs during pulmonary respiration?

Carbon dioxide diffuses into the alveoli.

You are dispatched to a residence for a 69-year-old female with "breathing problems." When you arrive, the patient's husband directs you to his wife, who is sitting on the couch in obvious respiratory distress. She is semiconscious and has labored, shallow respirations. You auscultate her lungs and hear diffuse rhonchi in all lung fields. Which of the following interventions would be of LEAST benefit to her?

IV therapy with up to a 500 mL normal saline bolus

Which of the following is the MOST accurate clinical definition of chronic bronchitis?

Productive cough for 3 months per year for 3 consecutive years

A 70-year-old male presents with an acute onset of difficulty breathing that woke him from his sleep. He has a history of hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and several heart attacks. During your assessment, you note dried blood around his mouth. The patient tells you that he cannot lie down because he will "smother." What additional assessment findings will you MOST likely discover?

Pulmonary rales

Which of the following clinical findings is MOST consistent with inadequate breathing?

Respirations of 16 breaths/min and reduced tidal volume

What acid-base derangement initially occurs in a tachypneic patient without a physiologic demand for increased oxygen?

Respiratory alkalosis

The Hering-Breuer reflex is defined as:

a feedback loop that inhibits the inspiratory center, which prevents overexpansion of the lungs.

Approximately 2 weeks following a total hip replacement, a 70-year-old female complains of a sudden onset of dyspnea and pleuritic chest pain. Your assessment reveals perioral cyanosis, blood-tinged sputum, and wheezing to the base of her right lung. As your partner applies high-flow oxygen, the patient states that she has a history of hypertension. You should be MOST suspicious of:

a pulmonary embolism.

A 20-year-old female presents with acute respiratory distress. Auscultation of her lungs reveals diffuse expiratory wheezing. She is in moderate distress and tells you that she has a prescribed inhaler that she uses when this happens. You should suspect:

an acute asthma attack.

When treating a patient who complains of dyspnea, it is important for the AEMT to:

be prepared to treat the patient's anxiety as well.

You are transporting a 60-year-old male to the hospital for suspected COPD exacerbation. He is receiving 100% oxygen via a nonrebreathing mask. As you reassess him, you note that his respirations have decreased and have become shallow. You should:

begin assisting his ventilations.

A 56-year-old male complains of difficulty breathing. His wife tells you that he complained of chest discomfort a few days prior, but would not allow her to call EMS. Your assessment reveals rales in the apices and bases of both lungs. This patient's clinical presentation is MOST consistent with:

cardiogenic pulmonary edema.

A 61-year-old female called EMS after suddenly being awakened in the middle of the night with a feeling that she was "smothering." You arrive to find the patient, very apprehensive and restless, sitting on the living room couch in obvious respiratory distress. Her BP is 160/90 mm Hg, pulse is 110 beats/min and irregular, and respirations are 24 breaths/min and labored. Auscultation of her lungs reveals diffuse rhonchi in all fields. Treatment for this patient should include:

continuous positive airway pressure and an IV line set to keep the vein open.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder that results in:

excess sodium loss and thick pulmonary secretions.

The movement and utilization of oxygen in the body is dependent on all of the following, EXCEPT:

effective alveolar-capillary osmosis.

In cases of pulmonary edema, diffusion is impaired primarily because of:

fluid-filled alveoli.

In contrast to an epidemic, a pandemic:

is a disease outbreak that occurs on a global scale.

A 59-year-old female with a history of poorly controlled hypertension becomes acutely dyspneic, develops profound cyanosis to the upper chest, and becomes unresponsive. She is pulseless and apneic upon your arrival. As you and your partner are performing the appropriate treatment interventions, you discuss the possible cause of her condition, which is MOST likely a(n):

massive pulmonary embolism.

Typical signs and symptoms of pneumonia include:

pleuritic chest pain, fever, and rhonchi.

When assessing a female patient with chest pain and shortness of breath, you note that her blood pressure is 80/50 mm Hg, her heart rate is 120 beats/min, and she has cyanosis around her mouth. In addition to supporting her ventilations, you should:

prepare for immediate transport.

The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, at the cellular level or in the lungs, is called:

respiration.

A 77-year-old male with a history of emphysema complains of an acute worsening of his shortness of breath and pleuritic chest pain that occurred after a forceful cough. Auscultation of his lungs reveals scattered wheezing on the left side and diminished breath sounds on the right. This patient's clinical presentation is MOST consistent with:

spontaneous pneumothorax.

Emphysema, a degenerative disease, is caused by:

surfactant destruction and increased alveolar surface tension.

Patients with COPD are highly susceptible to pneumonia because:

they cannot effectively expel infected pulmonary secretions.