Patient Assessment

An unstable patient should be reassessed at least every:

5 minutes

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

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 would NOT be appropriate for this patient?

gentle palpation of the pelvis

A pulse with a consistent pattern is considered to be

regular

A patient with high blood pressure would be expected to have skin that is:

flushed and red.

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

maintain stabilization of the head

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

Clinical signs of labored breathing include all of the following, EXCEPT

shallow chest movement

A properly sized blood pressure cuff should cover

two thirds the length from the armpit to the crease in the elbow.

A blood pressure cuff that is too small for a patient's arm will give a:

without assistance

A 29-year-old male with a head injury opens his eyes when you speak to him, is confused as to the time and date, and is able to move all of his extremities on command. His Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score is:

13

After the first 60 minutes of experiencing a significant injury:

CorrectC. the body's ability to compensate for shock decreases.

A decrease in the blood pressure may indicate

a loss of vascular tone

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

A 39-year-old male sustained a stab wound to the groin during an altercation at a bar. As you approach the patient, you note that he is conscious, is screaming in pain, and is attempting to control the bleeding, which is bright red and spurting from his groin area. You should:

apply direct pressure to the wound

An adult patient who is NOT experiencing difficulty breathing will:

be able to speak in complete sentences without unusual pauses

A patient's short-term memory is MOST likely intact if he or she correctly answers questions regarding

date and event

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.

A patient with profuse sweating is referred to as being:

diaphoretic

After performing a primary assessment, a rapid scan of the body should be performed in order to

identify less obvious injuries that require immediate transport

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

An injured patient is assigned a total score of 9 on the GCS. He is assigned a score of 2 for eye opening, a score of 3 for verbal response, and a score of 4 for motor response. Which of the following clinical findings is consistent with his GCS score?

opens eyes in response to pain, uses inappropriate words, withdraws from pain

A full-body scan should be performed on:

patients with a significant MOI and unresponsive medical patients.

A 50-year-old male presents with an altered mental status. His wife tells you that he had a "small stroke" 3 years ago but has otherwise been in good health. The patient is responsive but unable to follow commands. After administering oxygen, you should

prepare for immediate transport

A palpable pulse is created by:

pressure waves through the arteries caused by cardiac contraction

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

subcutaneous emphysema.

After performing a head tilt-chin lift maneuver to open the airway of an unresponsive patient, you should:

suction as needed and insert an airway adjunct

A low ETCO2 reading, as measured by capnography, would MOST likely be observed if:

there is an absence or decrease in the level of CO2 in the lungs