EMERGENCY: Section 8 - Special Patient Populations (1 of 2)

A newborn infant will usually begin breathing spontaneously within _______ seconds following birth.

15 to 30

A mother who is pregnant with her first baby is typically in the first stage of labor for approximately:

16 hours

After squeezing the end of a child's finger or toe for a few seconds, blood should return to the area within:

2 seconds

If the situation allows, a child should be transported in a car seat if he or she weighs less than _____ pounds.

40

The normal respiratory rate for a newborn should not exceed ______ breaths/min.

60

If a baby is born at 7:52, the second Apgar score should be calculated at:

7:57

You have just delivered a baby boy. His body is pink, but his hands and feet are blue. His heart rate is approximately 110 beats/min, and his respirations are rapid and irregular. He has a weak cry when stimulated and resists attempts to straighten his legs. His Apgar score is:

8

During your visual inspection of a 25-year-old woman in labor, you see the baby's head crowning at the vaginal opening. What should you do?

Apply gentle pressure to the baby's head as it delivers

You have just delivered a full-term infant. His respirations are rapid and irregular, and he has a strong cry. What should you do next?

Check the pulse rate at the brachial artery

Spina bifida is a developmental defect in which:

a portion of the spinal cord or meninges protrudes outside of the vertebrae

You are dispatched to a residence for a child with respiratory distress. The patient, an 18-month-old female, is tachypneic, has sternal retractions, and is clinging to her mother. Her skin is pink and dry, and her heart rate is 120 beats/min. The most appropriate treatment for this child includes:

administering blow-by oxygen and transporting the child with her mother

Braxton-Hicks contractions are characterized by:

alleviation of pain with movement or changing positions

A history of pelvic inflammatory disease or tubal ligations increases a woman's risk for:

an ectopic pregnancy

You are assessing a 25-year-old woman who is 39 weeks pregnant. She is experiencing regular contractions that are approximately three minutes apart and states that her amniotic sac broke two hours ago. After taking the standard precautions, you should:

assess her for crowning

You respond to a skate park where a 10-year-old male fell from his skateboard and struck his head on the ground; he was not wearing a helmet. He is responsive to painful stimuli only and has a large hematoma on the back of his head. After your partner stabilizes his head and opens his airway, you assess his breathing and determine that it is slow and irregular. His pulse is slow and bounding. You should:

assist his ventilations, be prepared to suction his mouth if he vomits, apply full spinal precautions, and prepare for immediate transport to a trauma center

The third stage of labor begins when the:

baby is expelled from the vagina

An 8-year-old female with a history of asthma continues to experience severe respiratory distress despite being given multiple doses of her prescribed albuterol by her mother. She is conscious but clearly restless. Her heart rate is 130 beats/min, and her respiratory rate is 30 breaths/min. She is receiving high-flow oxygen via a nonrebreathing mask. You should:

be prepared to assist her ventilations, transport at once, and request an ALS intercept en route to the hospital.

Pale skin in a child indicates that the:

blood vessels near the skin are constricted

The onset of labor begins with:

contractions of the uterus

A 2-year-old female has experienced a seizure. When you arrive at the scene, the child is conscious, crying, and clinging to her mother. Her skin is hot and moist. The mother tells you that the seizure lasted approximately 5 minutes. She further tells you that her daughter has no history of seizures but has had a recent ear infection. You should:

cool the child with tepid water and transport to the hospital

Placenta previa is defined as:

development of the placenta over the cervical opening

Infection should be considered a possible cause of an airway obstruction in an infant or child, especially if he or she presents with:

drooling or congestion

A 6-year-old male presents with acute respiratory distress. His mother states that she saw him put a small toy into his mouth shortly before the episode began. The child is conscious, obviously frightened, and is coughing forcefully. You should:

encourage him to cough, give oxygen as tolerated, and transport

When assessing the heart rate of a 6-month-old infant, you should palpate the brachial pulse or ________ pulse.

femoral

Following delivery of a full-term baby, you have properly cared for the baby and have clamped and cut the umbilical cord. During transport, you note that the mother is experiencing moderate vaginal bleeding. You should:

firmly massage the uterine fundus with a circular motion

Upon delivery of an infant's head, you note that the umbilical cord is wrapped around its neck. You should:

first attempt to slip the cord gently over the infant's head

While examining a woman in labor, you see the umbilical cord protruding from the vagina. You should:

gently push the infant's head away from the cord

When a child experiences a blunt injury to the abdomen:

he or she can compensate for blood loss better than adults

Signs and symptoms of preeclampsia include:

headache and edema

EMTs are called for an unresponsive infant. When they arrive, they find the mother holding her child. She advises that the child became limp, blue, and stopped breathing. Assessment reveals that the infant is conscious and crying, and has good muscle tone and pink skin color. The mother states that she will take her child to the doctor. The EMTs should:

inform that mother that, although the event seems to have resolved, transport via EMS is advisable

The leading cause of maternal death during the first trimester of pregnancy is:

internal bleeding caused by a ruptured ectopic pregnancy

You have just delivered a premature baby. Your assessment reveals that he is breathing adequately; however, his heart rate is 90 beats/min. You should:

keep him warm and ventilate with a bag-mask device

CPR is in progress on a pulseless and apneic 29-year-old woman who is 37 weeks pregnant. When treating this patient, the EMT should:

manually displace the patient's uterus to the left

A 6-month-old male presents with 2 days of vomiting and diarrhea. He is conscious, but his level of activity is decreased. The infant's mother tells you that he has not had a soiled diaper in over 12 hours. The infant's heart rate is 140 beats/min, and his anterior fontanelle appears to be slightly sunken. You should suspect:

moderate dehydration

A 4-year-old, 16-kg female ingested an unknown quantity of liquid drain cleaner. Your assessment reveals that she is conscious and alert, is breathing adequately, and has skin burns around her mouth. You should:

monitor her airway and give oxygen

When preparing a pregnant patient for delivery, you should position her:

on a firm surface with her hips elevated two to four inches

While triaging patients at the scene of a motor-vehicle crash, you encounter a 5-year-old child who is unresponsive and apneic. After positioning his airway, you should:

palpate for a carotid pulse

A 26-year-old female who is 34 weeks pregnant is experiencing a seizure. Her husband tells you that her blood pressure has been high and that she had been complaining of a headache for the past few days. You should:

place her on her side, administer high-flow oxygen, and transport

Your 22-year-old patient is in active labor. Upon visual inspection, you note that the infant's leg is protruding from the vagina. Appropriate management of this situation includes:

placing the mother supine with her head down and pelvis elevated

After delivery of a pulseless and apneic infant who has a foul odor, skin sloughing, and diffuse blistering, you should:

provide emotional support to the mother

Three days after delivering her baby, a 30-year-old woman complains of a sudden onset of difficulty breathing. Her level of consciousness is decreased, and she is tachycardic. The EMT should suspect:

pulmonary embolism

Upon delivery of the baby's head, you note that its face is encased in the unruptured amniotic sac. You should:

puncture the sac and suction the baby's mouth and nose

EMTs are assessing a 2-year-old child who was riding in a car seat when the vehicle struck a tree while traveling at 45 MPH. The child is conscious and appears alert. There are no obvious signs of trauma to the child, and the car seat does not appear to be damaged. The EMTs should:

remove the child from the car seat and secure him to a pediatric immobilization device

When immobilizing an injured child in a pediatric immobilization device, you should:

secure the torso before the head

You are dispatched to a local elementary school for an injured child. As you approach the child, you note that he is lying at the base of the monkey bars. He is unresponsive, and there are no signs of breathing. You should:

stabilize his head and check for a pulse

The presence of meconium in the amniotic fluid indicates:

that the baby's airway might be obstructed

During delivery, it is most important to position your partner at the mother's head because:

the mother might become nauseated and vomit

Abruptio placenta occurs when:

the placenta prematurely separates from the uterine wall

Supine hypotensive syndrome occurs when:

the pregnant uterus compresses the inferior vena cava

When assessing or treating an adolescent patient, it is important to remember that:

they usually do not wish to be observed during a procedure