Chapter 28. EMT

A 66-year-old male presents with dark red rectal bleeding and abdominal pain. He is conscious and alert; however, his skin is cool and clammy and his heart rate is elevated. Further assessment reveals that his blood pressure is 112/60 mm Hg. Which of the following questions would be MOST pertinent to ask him?

Have you experienced recent abdominal trauma?

Following blunt abdominal trauma, a 30-year-old male complains of referred pain to the left shoulder. This finding is called the:

Kehr sign.

Which of the following statements regarding abdominal trauma is correct?

The absence of abdominal pain does not rule out intra-abdominal bleeding.

Which of the following statements regarding abdominal eviscerations is correct?

The protruding organs should be kept warm and moist.

The mesentery is

a membranous fold that attaches the intestines to the walls of the body

Compression injuries to the abdomen that occur during a motor vehicle crash are typically the result of:

a poorly placed lap belt.

A 54-year-old male experienced an avulsion to his penis when his foreskin got caught in the zipper of his pants. He was able to unzip his pants and remove the foreskin prior to your arrival. Your assessment reveals that he is in severe pain and that the avulsion is bleeding moderately. The MOST appropriate treatment for this patient includes:

applying direct pressure with a dry, sterile dressing.

A 20-year-old male was accidentally shot in the right upper abdominal quadrant with an arrow during an archery contest. Prior to your arrival, the patient removed the arrow. Your assessment reveals that he is conscious and alert with stable vital signs. The entrance wound is bleeding minimally and appears to be superficial. You should:

assume that the arrow injured an internal organ.

When documenting a call involving a female patient who was sexually assaulted, the EMT should

avoid speculation and document only factual data.

When worn properly, a seatbelt should lie:

below the anterior superior iliac spines of the pelvis and against the hip joints.

A football player was struck by another player in the right flank area just below the posterior rib cage. He complains of severe pain and point tenderness to the area. Your assessment reveals that there is a small amount of blood in his underwear. You should be MOST suspicious for:

blunt injury to the kidney.

Your presence is requested by law enforcement to assess a 33-year-old female who was sexually assaulted. The patient is conscious and obviously upset. As you are talking to her, you note an impressive amount of blood on her clothes in the groin area. Her blood pressure is 98/58 mm Hg, her pulse is 130 beats/min, and her respirations are 24 breaths/min. You should:

control any external bleeding, administer oxygen, and transport at once

Difficulty breathing and a sunken appearance of the anterior abdominal wall is MOST indicative of a ruptured:

diaphragm.

Accumulation of blood in the abdominal cavity will MOST likely cause:

distention.

Contraction or tensing of the abdominal muscles in an effort to ease pain is called:

guarding

Air bags, in conjunction with properly worn seatbelts, are MOST beneficial when a person is involved in a:

head-on crash

A sign of kidney damage following blunt trauma is:

hematuria

Peritonitis, an intense inflammatory reaction of the abdominal cavity, usually occurs when:

hollow abdominal organs are damaged and spill their contents.

You are transporting a 42-year-old male who experienced blunt abdominal trauma. He is receiving oxygen at 12 L/min via a nonrebreathing mask, and full spinal precautions have been applied. During your reassessment, you note his level of consciousness has decreased and his respirations have become shallow. You should:

insert an airway adjunct if he will tolerate it and begin assisting his ventilations with a bag-mask device.

During your assessment of a patient who experienced blunt trauma to the abdomen, you notice bruising around the umbilicus. This is a sign of

intra-abdominal bleeding.

During your assessment of a patient who experienced blunt trauma to the abdomen, you notice bruising around the umbilicus. This is a sign of:

intra-abdominal bleeding.

You are dispatched to a residence for a young female who was kicked in the abdomen by her boyfriend. While en route to the scene, you should ask the dispatcher if:

law enforcement is at the scene.

While assessing a 21-year-old female who struck a tree head-on with her small passenger car, you note that her air bag deployed. You should:

lift the air bag and look for deformity to the steering wheel.

Which of the following organs would MOST likely bleed profusely when injured?

liver

All of the following are hollow abdominal organs, EXCEPT for the:

liver.

Bruising to the right upper quadrant of the abdomen following blunt trauma is MOST suggestive of injury to the:

liver.

Placing a pregnant patient in a supine position during the third trimester of pregnancy:

may decrease the amount of blood that returns to the heart.

When a hollow organ is punctured during a penetrating injury to the abdomen:

peritonitis may not develop for several hours.

Because the depth of an open abdominal wound is often difficult to determine:

prompt transport to the hospital is essential.

Early bruising following abdominal trauma often manifests as:

red areas of skin.

A 22-year-old male was punched in the abdomen several times. You find him lying on his left side with his knees drawn up. He is conscious and alert and complains of increased pain and nausea when he tries to straighten his legs. His blood pressure is 142/82 mm Hg, his pulse rate is 110 beats/min and strong, and his respirations are 22 breaths/min and regular. In addition to administering high-flow oxygen, you should:

transport him in the position in which you found him.

Which of the following organs is at MOST risk for injury as the result of a pelvic fracture?

urinary bladder