EMT Section 6 Medical Chapters 15-24

Three months after returning home from West Africa, a 50-year-old man begins experiencing a fever, cough, and muscle aches. The EMT should suspect:

influenza

In which of the following situations would it be MOST appropriate to utilize an air medical transportation service? A. 29 year-old female, who is 18 weeks pregnant, has light vaginal, bleeding, and has stable, vital signs. B. 43-year-old man experiencing a heart attack, and the closest appropriate hospital is 15 minutes away. C. 50 year old, conscious women with severe nausea and vomiting, fever, and chills for three days duration. D. 61-year-old man with signs and symptoms of a stroke and your ground. Transport time is 50 minutes.

61-year-old man with signs and symptoms of a stroke and a ground transport time of 50 minutes

Which of the following patients is at greatest risk for complications caused by the influenza virus? A. 12-year-old child with a fractured arm B. 68-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes C. 39-year-old man with mild hypertension D. 50-year-old woman with moderate obesity

68-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes

An infectious disease is MOST accurately defined as:

A medical condition caused by the growth and spread of small, harmful organisms within the body.

A sign of respiratory distress seen in the neck is:

Accessory muscle use

Which of the following will MOST reliably allow you to determine the nature of a patient's illness? A. Trending of the patient's vital signs over time B. Asking questions related to the chief complaint C. Refraining from asking open-ended questions D. Focusing solely on how the call is dispatched

Asking questions related to the chief complaint

Which of the following statements regarding hepatitis A is correct?

Hepatitis A can only be transmitted by a patient who has an acute infection.

Which of the following medications would the EMT be LEAST likely to administer to a patient with a medical complaint? A. Aspirin B. Ibuprofen C. Albuterol D. Oral glucose

Ibuprofen

Which of the following questions would be the MOST pertinent to ask a patient who recently returned from Europe and is now ill?

Is anyone else in your travel party sick?

Your patient's symptoms include high fever, cough, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and shortness of breath. Which of the following should you suspect?

MERS-CoV

Which of the following statements regarding methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is correct? A. Most cases of MRSA transmission occur following an accidental needlestick. B. MRSA is a bacterium that causes infections and is resistant to most antibiotics. C. The communicable period for MRSA is 10 days to 2 weeks after being infected. D. Studies have shown that fewer than 1% of health care providers are MRSA carriers.

MRSA is a bacterium that causes infections and is resistant to most antibiotics.

Which of the following statements regarding the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is correct? A. HIV is far more contagious than hepatitis B, and is easily transmitted in the healthcare setting. B. The risk of HIV infection is high, even if an infected person's blood comes in contact with your intact skin. C. The risk of HIV infection is greatest when deposited on a mucous membrane, or directly into the bloodstream. D. Most patients who are infected with HIV experience chronic symptoms that vary in duration and severity.

The risk of HIV infection is greatest when deposited on a mucous membrane or directly into the bloodstream.

The primary prehospital treatment for most medical emergencies:

addresses the patient's symptoms more than the actual disease process.

Your primary assessment of an elderly woman reveals that she is conscious and alert, but is experiencing difficulty breathing. She has a history of emphysema, hypertension, and congestive heart failure. As you assess the patient's circulatory status, you should direct your partner to:

administer oxygen with the appropriate device.

The determination of whether a medical patient is a high-priority or low-priority transport is typically made:

after the primary assessment has been completed.

A 58-year-old man complains of chest discomfort and nausea. He is conscious and alert; his blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg, his pulse is 104 beats/min, and his respirations are 16 breaths/min. Your partner has applied supplemental oxygen. Prior to assisting the patient with one of his prescribed nitroglycerin tablets, you ask him if he takes medication to treat erectile dysfunction (ED), and he tells you that he does. You should:

ask him what he takes, how much, and when he last took it.

Upon initial contact with a patient who appears to be unconscious, you should:

attempt to elicit a verbal response by talking to the patient.

In addition to looking for severe bleeding, assessment of circulation in the conscious patient should involve:

checking the radial pulse and noting the color, temperature, and condition of the skin.

Patients with tuberculosis pose the greatest risk for transmitting the disease when they:

cough

Typical chief complaints in patients with an infectious disease include:

fever, rash, nausea, and difficulty breathing.

When performing a secondary assessment on a conscious patient with nontraumatic abdominal pain and stable vital signs, you should:

focus on his or her chief complaint.

The BEST way to prevent infection from whooping cough is to:

get vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.

Hepatitis B is more virulent than hepatitis C, which means that it:

has a greater ability to produce disease.

In contrast to the assessment of a trauma patient, assessment of a medical patient:

is focused on the nature of illness, the patient's chief complaint, and his or her symptoms.

In contrast to viral hepatitis, toxin-induced hepatitis:

is not a communicable disease

The secondary assessment of a medical patient:

is not practical if the patient is critically ill or your transport time is short.

Early signs and symptoms of viral hepatitis include all of the following, EXCEPT:

jaundice and abdominal pain.

Which of the following assessment findings Is MOST indicative of a cardiovascular problem?

jugular venous distention

When caring for a patient with an altered mental status and signs of circulatory compromise, you should:

limit your time at the scene to 10 minutes or less, if possible.

You and your EMT partner arrive at the residence of a 50-year-old man who complains of weakness. Your primary assessment reveals that he is critically ill and will require aggressive treatment. The closest hospital is 25 miles away. You should:

manage all threats to airway, breathing, and circulation and consider requesting an ALS unit.

When assessing a patient with a medical complaint, which of the following would MOST likely reveal the cause of the problem?

medical history

A patient who presents with a headache, fever, confusion, and red blotches on his or her skin should be suspected of having;

meningitis

It is especially important to assess pulse, sensation, and movement in all extremities as well as pupillary reactions in patients with a suspected ___________ problem.

neurologic

Assessment of a patient's blood pressure with an automatic BP cuff reveals that it is 204/120 mm Hg. The patient is conscious and alert and denies any symptoms. The EMT should:

obtain a manual blood pressure.

The greatest danger in displaying a personal bias or "labeling" a patient who frequently calls EMS is:

overlooking a potentially serious medical condition.

You have just completed your primary assessment of a 48-year-old man with crushing chest pain and difficulty breathing. The patient has been given 324 mg of aspirin and is receiving supplemental oxygen. As you begin your secondary assessment, you note that his mental status has deteriorated and he is now bradycardic. You should:

prepare the patient for immediate transport.

Factors that increase the risk for developing methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) include:

prolonged hospitalization, especially in an intensive care unit.

In addition to obtaining a SAMPLE history and asking questions related to the chief complaint, what else should you specifically inquire about when assessing a patient with a potentially infectious disease?

recent travel

Reassessment of a patient with a medical complaint should begin by:

repeating the primary assessment.

Which of the following conditions often requires transport to a hospital with specialized capabilities that may not be available at the closest hospital? A. Seizures and infection B. Cardiac arrest and shock C. Stroke and heart attack D. Diabetes and migraines

stroke and heart attack

Which of the following conditions is NOT categorized as a psychiatric condition? A. Depression B. Schizophrenia C. Substance abuse D. Alzheimer's disease

substance abuse

When caring for a patient who takes numerous medications, it is best to:

take all of the patient's medications with you to the hospital and document them on your patient care report.

After sizing up the scene of a patient with a possible infectious disease, your next priority should be to:

take standard precautions.

When forming your general impression of a patient with a medical complaint, it is important to remember that:

the conditions of many medical patients may not appear serious at first.

Ten days after treating a 34-year-old patient with tuberculosis, you are given a tuberculin skin test, which yields a positive result. This MOST likely indicates that:

you were exposed to another infected person prior to treating the 34-year-old patient.

An index of suspicion is MOST accurately defined as:

your awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying and unseen injuries or illness.