Chapter 9 Question Bank

During a 30-minute transport of a stable patient, you should reassess him or her at least ________ times.

2

When you assess capillary refill time in an infant, normal color to the tested area should return within:

2 seconds

A patient in unstable condition should be reassessed at least every:

5 minutes.

The rapid exam of a patient that occurs following the primary assessment should take no longer than:

60 to 90 seconds

Which of the following statements regarding the blood pressure is correct?

Blood pressure is usually not measured in children younger than 3 years of age.

Which of the following pupillary changes would indicate depressed brain function?

Both pupils dilate with introduction of a bright light

When performing the secondary assessment on a trauma patient, you note the presence of Battle sign. This is defined as:

Bruising behind the ear.

You should suspect that a patient is experiencing respiratory failure if he or she:

Has bradycardia and diminished muscle tone.

What part of the patient assessment process focuses on obtaining additional information about the patient's chief complaint and any medical problems he or she may have?

History taking

After performing a primary assessment, a rapid exam of the body should be performed to:

Identify less-obvious injuries that require immediate treatment.

The chief complaint is MOST accurately defined as the:

Most serious thing the patient is concerned about.

Which of the following MOST accurately describes paradoxical movement of the chest wall?

Only one section of the chest rises on inspiration while another area falls

Which of the following statements regarding the secondary assessment is correct?

The secondary assessment should focus on a certain area or region of the body as determined by the chief complaint.

Observations made when forming a general impression of a patient would include all of the following, EXCEPT:

Pulse strength.

When palpating a patient's pulse, you note that there is a short interval between pulsations. This indicates that the pulse is:

Rapid.

Which of the following actions would NOT be performed during the scene size-up?

Rapidly assessing a patient's respiratory status

Which of the following signs of respiratory distress is seen MOST commonly in pediatric patients?

Seesaw breathing

Which of the following situations or conditions warrants immediate transport?

Severe chest pain and cool, pale skin

A crackling sound produced by air bubbles under the skin is called:

Subcutaneous emphysema.

Which of the following would the EMT likely NOT perform on a responsive patient with a headache and no apparent life-threatening conditions?

Systematic head-to-toe examination

A patient who does not respond to your questions, but moves or cries out when his or her trapezius muscle is pinched, is said to be:

responsive to painful stimuli.

You respond to the residence of a 62-year-old male who is unresponsive. Your primary assessment reveals that he is apneic and pulseless. You should:

start CPR and attach the AED as soon as possible.

Which of the following questions would you ask a patient to ascertain the "M" in the SAMPLE history?

"How much Tylenol do you take each day?"

The normal respiratory rate for an adult should range from:

12 to 20 breaths per minute.

In which of the following situations is a pertinent negative identified?

A 59-year-old man complains of crushing chest pain but denies shortness of breath.

Which of the following scenarios does NOT involve the presence of any symptoms?

A 61-year-old female who is unconscious with facial cyanosis

Which of the following patients does NOT have signs of an altered mental status?

A patient with an acute allergic reaction and dizziness

An elderly patient has fallen and hit her head. You assess her level of consciousness as unresponsive using the AVPU scale. Your initial care should focus on:

Airway, breathing, and circulation.

Treatment and transport priorities at the scene of a mass-casualty incident should be determined after:

All the patients have been triage

Palliating factors regarding a patient's pain involve those that:

Alleviate the pain

When using the pulse oximeter as part of your assessment of a patient, it is important to remember that:

Any situation that causes vasoconstriction or loss of red blood cells, such as anemia or bleeding, may result in an inaccurate or misleading value.

External bleeding from an extremity can usually be controlled initially by:

Applying direct pressure

When palpating the carotid pulse of a responsive patient, you should:

Avoid compressing both carotid arteries simultaneously.

An adult patient who is NOT experiencing difficulty breathing will:

Be able to speak in complete sentences without unusual pauses.

When you shine a light into one pupil, the normal reaction of the other pupil should be to:

Become smaller.

Which of the following factors would MOST likely cause a patient's pulse rate to be slower than normal?

Beta-blocker medications

While en route to the scene of a shooting, the dispatcher advises you that the caller states that the perpetrator has fled the scene. You should:

Confirm this information with law enforcement personnel at the scene

When you inspect a patient's pupils with a penlight, the pupils should normally react to the light by:

Constricting.

When palpating a patient's pulse, you note that it is grossly irregular. You should:

Count the pulse rate for a full minute to obtain an accurate reading.

Cyanosis of the skin is caused by

Decreased blood oxygen

A 50-year-old male is found unconscious in his car. There were no witnesses to the event. When gathering medical history information for this patient, the EMT should:

Determine if the patient has a medical alert bracelet or wallet card.

When evaluating a patient with multiple complaints, the EMT's responsibility is to:

Determine which complaint poses the greatest threat to the patient's life.

When approaching a 32-year-old male who is complaining of traumatic neck pain, you should:

Ensure that the patient can see you approaching him.

Upon arriving at a potentially unsafe scene, you should:

Ensure that you are safe.

Which of the following findings indicates that your patient has a patent airway?

Forceful coughing

A 71-year-old female slipped on a rug and fell. She is conscious and alert and complains of severe pelvic pain. Her respirations are 22 breaths/min with adequate depth and her heart rate is 120 beats/min. Which of the following is NOT indicated for this patient?

Gentle palpation of the pelvis

Upon arriving at the scene of a patient with difficulty breathing, you determine that the scene is safe. You enter the residence and find the patient sitting in a chair in respiratory distress. Your first action should be to:

Introduce yourself to the patient.

Which of the following statements regarding stridor is correct?

It is a high-pitched, crowing upper airway sound.

In patients with deeply pigmented skin, changes in color may be apparent only in certain areas, such as the:

Lips or oral mucosa

A 40-year-old male presents with pain to the right upper quadrant of his abdomen. He is conscious and alert with stable vital signs. During your assessment, you note that his skin and sclera are jaundiced. You should suspect:

Liver dysfunction.

As you assess the head of a patient with a suspected spinal injury, your partner should:

Maintain stabilization of the head.

For which of the following patients is spinal immobilization clearly indicated?

Man who was struck in the head and is now confused and has slurred speech

A 40-year-old male crashed his motorcycle into a tree. He is semiconscious, has snoring respirations, and has a laceration to the forearm with minimal bleeding. You should:

Open his airway with the jaw-thrust maneuver.

In infants and small children, skin color should be assessed on the:

Palms and soles

With regard to the assessment of a patient's cardiovascular status, capillary refill time is MOST reliable in:

Patients who are younger than 6 years of age

The systematic head-to-toe assessment should be performed on:

Patients with a significant MOI and unresponsive medical patients.

The MOST effective way to determine whether your patient's problem is medical or traumatic in origin is to:

Perform a careful and thorough assessment

During your assessment of a 6-month-old male with vomiting and diarrhea, you note that his capillary refill time is approximately 4 seconds. From this information, you should conclude that the infant's:

Peripheral circulation is decreased

Which of the following is the MOST accurate guide to palpating a pulse?

Place the tips of your index and long fingers over the pulse point.

You are assessing a 72-year-old man with abdominal pain. The patient is sitting in a chair; he is conscious, alert, and calm. As you are talking to the patient, your partner discreetly directs your attention to a handgun, which is located on a nearby table. You should:

Position yourself in between the patient and the gun and ask your partner to request law enforcement assistance.

When performing a rapid exam on a supine patient, what part of the body is typically assessed last?

Posterior

You are dispatched to the county jail for an inmate who is "sick." When you arrive, you find the patient, a 33-year-old male, unresponsive. His airway is patent and his respirations are rapid and shallow. Your initial action should be to:

Provide assisted ventilation.

Supplemental oxygen without assisted ventilation would MOST likely be administered to patients:

With difficulty breathing and adequate tidal volume.

During the primary assessment, circulation is evaluated by assessing:

pulse quality, external bleeding, and skin condition.