Environmental Emergencies

The venom of a brown recluse spider is cytotoxic, meaning that it:

. causes severe local tissue damage.

Which of the following conditions would be the LEAST likely to increase a person's risk of hypothermia? A. hyperglycemia B. severe infection C. hypoperfusion D. spinal cord injury

Hyperglycemia

Which of the following statements regarding drowning is correct? A. Hypoxia in the drowning victim initially occurs due to water in the lungs. B. Laryngospasm following submersion in water makes rescue breathing difficult. C. Artificial ventilations can easily be performed in patients with a laryngospasm. D. Large amounts of water enter the lungs in a small number of drowning victims.

Laryngospasm following submersion in water makes rescue breathing difficult.

You are dispatched to a residence for a young female who is sick. The patient complains of a rash to her lower extremities and truncal area. Your assessment reveals a small, painful blister on her inner thigh. As your partner is taking the patient's vital signs, she states that she and her family returned from a camping trip two days ago. On the basis of this patient's presentation, you should suspect:

Lyme disease

Which of the following would be the LEAST likely to occur in a patient with a core body temperature of between 89°F (32°C) and 92°F (33°C)? A. bradypnea B. stiff muscles C. confusion D. tachycardia

Tachycardia

Compared to adults, infants and children are at higher risk for hypothermia for all of the following reasons, EXCEPT: A. a decreased ability to shiver. B. a relatively small surface area. C. a smaller amount of body fat. D. a smaller overall muscle mass.

a relatively small surface area.

Breath-holding syncope is caused by a decreased stimulus to breathe and occurs when:

a swimmer hyperventilates prior to entering the water

The MOST prominent symptom of decompression sickness is:

abdominal or joint pain

A 30-year-old male was rescued after being lost in the woods for approximately 18 hours. The outside temperature is 30°F (-1°C). He is immediately placed in the warmed ambulance, where you perform a primary assessment. He is unconscious, pale, and apneic. After initiating artificial ventilations, you should:

assess for a carotid pulse for up to 45 seconds

Hypothermia can worsen internal bleeding secondary to:

blood clotting abnormalities

Geriatric patients are at a higher risk for heatstroke because:

circulation to the skin is reduced

All of the following snakes are pit vipers, EXCEPT for the: A copperhead. B. coral snake. C. cottonmouth. D. rattlesnake.

coral snake

When the body loses sweat, it also loses:

electrolytes

High humidity reduces the body's ability to lose heat through:

evaporation

Geriatric patients, newborns, and infants are especially prone to hyperthermia because they:

exhibit poor thermoregulation.

All of the following terms are used to describe a cold body part that is not frozen, EXCEPT: A. chilblains. B. frostnip. C. frostbite. D. trench foot.

frostbite

Shivering is a mechanism in which the body generates heat by:

increasing the metabolic rate.

In order for sweating to be an effective cooling mechanism:

it must be able to evaporate from the body

Which of the following is an early sign of pit viper envenomation? A. local swelling and ecchymosis B. signs and symptoms of hypoperfusion C. general weakness and diaphoresis D. syncope and bleeding at distal sites

local swelling and ecchymosis

You and your partner are standing by at a large social event at a river resort when a frantic woman tells you that she found a young male floating face-down in the water. Nobody claims to have witnessed the event. After you and your partner enter the water and reach the patient, you should:

move him as a unit to a supine position

The venom of a black widow spider is toxic to the:

nervous system.

You and your partner respond to a park where several people were reportedly struck by lightning. When you arrive, you find three patients. The first patient is lying supine on the ground; he is unresponsive and does not appear to be breathing. The second patient is ambulatory, appears confused, and is holding his arm against his chest. The third patient is sitting on the ground holding the sides of his head. After calling for backup, you should:

open the unresponsive patient's airway with the jaw-thrust maneuver, assess his ABCs, and begin CPR and attach the AED as soon as possible.

Your assessment of a 23-year-old female reveals a core body temperature of 93.4°F (34°C). She is conscious, answers your questions appropriately, is shivering, and complains of nausea. Her skin is cold and pale, her muscles appear rigid, and her respirations are rapid. In addition to monitoring her ABCs, administering oxygen, and turning up the heat in the back of the ambulance, you should:

place heat packs to her groin, axillae, and behind her neck; cover her with warm blankets; and avoid rough handling.

You respond to a local lake where a diver complains of difficulty breathing that occurred immediately after rapidly ascending from a depth of approximately 30′. On assessment, you note that he has cyanosis around his lips and has pink froth coming from his nose and mouth. You should:

suction his mouth and nose, apply high flow oxygen, position him on his left side with his head down, and contact medical control regarding transport to a decompression facility.

Burns associated with lightning strikes are typically:

superficial.

While drinking beer with his friends near a creek, a 31-year-old male was bitten on the leg by an unidentified snake. The patient is conscious and alert and in no apparent distress. Your assessment of his leg reveals two small puncture marks with minimal pain and swelling. In addition to administering oxygen and providing reassurance, further care for this patient should include:

supine positioning, splinting the leg, and transporting

Which of the following MOST accurately describes hyperthermia? A. The body is exposed to more heat than it can lose. B. Heat evaporates a significant amount of body water. C. The core body temperature exceeds 99.5°F (37°C). D. The body eliminates more heat than it can generate.

the body is exposed to more heat than it can lose.

Heatstroke occurs when:

the body's heat-eliminating mechanisms are overwhelmed.

The body's natural protective mechanisms against heat loss are:

vasoconstriction and shivering.

Rough handling of a hypothermic patient with a pulse may cause:

ventricular fibrillation