Chapter 22; Toxicology

You have been called for a young female who overdosed on several drugs. Which of the following is it most essential that the EMT perform while caring for this patient?

Identify and correct loss of vital function.

After a 911 call hang-up, you enter a room and see an apparently unresponsive female patient with a bag over her head. A person in the neighboring apartment tells you that she said that she suffers from depression and made a threat to kill herself with a suicide bag this morning. Your immediate action would be to:

Leave the Room

A construction worker complains of intense pain after a bag of dry powder was spilled on his arm. The EMT should:

brush the chemical from his arm and then flush the skin with water.

Signs and symptoms of a sympathomimetic drug overdose include:

tachycardia.

Hypotension, hypoventilation, and pinpoint pupils would be expected following an overdose of:

oxycodone (Percocet)

You have been called to a party by friends of a 14-year-old female with a decreased level of consciousness. On scene, the partygoers state that they were "huffing" when she suddenly complained of a headache and then passed out. In reference to the term "huffing," you would recognize this as:

inhaling fumes or vapors.

After determining that a patient intentionally overdosed on blood pressure medications, which of the following questions would be most appropriate?

"How many did you take?"

Which of the following complaints would the EMT expect from a person who has just used crack cocaine?

"I have chest pain."

You are preparing to administer activated charcoal to a patient who has ingested a poison. The activated charcoal authorized by your medical director also contains a cathartic. What statement would you make to the patient regarding this additive?

"You may experience diarrhea after taking the charcoal."

EMTs are dispatched for a teenage male who is "not acting right." When they arrive, they are informed that the patient was huffing. Several cans of Freon are found near the patient. Which of the following is a unique consideration for this patient?

A sudden adrenaline release can cause a fatal dysrhythmia.

For which of the following patients would you be most concerned about exposure to cyanide?

Firefighter battling a smoky structure fire

You are en route for a possible heroin overdose. As an EMT, you would recognize heroin as what type of drug?

Depressant

A 31-year-old female was stung by a hornet while golfing. Your assessment reveals her to be confused with stridorous respirations. Her skin is warm and flushed and covered with hives. A stinger is located on the back of her neck. Based on this information, the EMT would recognize that the route of poisoning suffered by this patient would be:

Injection

A 19-year-old diabetic female is unresponsive after drinking a large amount of alcohol and trying some "pills" that her friend provided. She has snoring respirations and an intact radial pulse. Emergency Medical Responders are maintaining her airway with a head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver. Vital signs are: pulse 116, respirations 14, and SpO2 93%. Advanced life support has been contacted for assistance. Your next action would be to:

administer oxygen through positive pressure ventilation.

In general, injected poisons are impossible to dilute or remove because they:

are usually absorbed quickly into the body.

After administering activated charcoal to a patient, it is most important to:

be alert for vomiting

A patient who is agitated and hyperactive with dilated pupils and tachypnea has most likely ingested:

crack cocaine

A 25-year-old man overdosed on heroin and is unresponsive. His breathing is slow and shallow and he is bradycardic. He has track marks on both arms. The EMT should:

insert a nasal airway and ventilate with a bag-mask device.

When treating a patient for an overdose, the highest priority of care is placed on:

managing the airway and breathing.

Your unit is dispatched to the county jail for an intoxicated inmate. Upon arrival, you find the patient, a 33-year-old male, lying supine in a jail cell. He is responsive to painful stimuli only and has slow, shallow respirations. You should be most concerned that this patient:

might vomit and aspirate.

Substance abuse is most accurately defined as:

misusing a substance to produce a desired effect.

Heroin is an example of a(n):

opioid

The family of a 31-year-old female reports that she has taken an overdose of her father's diabetes medication. Assessment reveals her to be unresponsive, laying on the floor with snoring respirations. Her pulse is rapid and her skin is cool to the touch. She has no history of diabetes but is allergic to penicillin. It is believed that she took the medication within the past hour. Your initial intervention in caring for this patient would be to:

perform a jaw-thrust maneuver.

The EMT's first priority when managing a patient that has been exposed to a poisonous substance is:

perform a primary assessment.

A confused and lethargic patient reports that she took a large number of antianxiety pills because she was angry with her husband. Her airway is patent and her breathing is adequate. Her pulse is normal and skin is warm and dry. During your reassessment, she reports that she is now dizzy and feels extremely nauseated. The EMT would immediately:

place her in a lateral recumbent position.

An EMT's primary responsibility to the patient who has been poisoned is to:

recognize that a poisoning occurred

A man with a prolonged history of alcohol abuse fell from a second-story balcony. His blood pressure is 80/60 mm Hg, his heart rate is 120 beats/min, and his skin is cool and pale. When caring for this patient, the EMT should recall that:

reduced blood clotting worsens internal bleeding.

Signs of absorbed poison exposure include all of the following, except:

severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

You are dispatched to a local nursery for a 39-year-old female who is sick. When you arrive, you find the patient lying on the floor. She is semiconscious, has copious amounts of saliva coming from her mouth, and is incontinent of urine. You quickly feel her pulse and note that it is very slow. Immediate management for this patient should include:

thoroughly suctioning her oropharynx.

If you are uncertain how to treat a patient who has been poisoned or exposed to a specific substance, you should:

try to find the container the substance was in.