EMS basic final exam #1

Which of the following statements regarding gestational diabetes is correct?

In some cases, women with gestational diabetes require insulin injections.

The continuous quality improvement (CQI) process is designed to:

identify areas of improvement and provide remedial training if needed.

Evaluation of the interior of a crashed motor vehicle during extrication will allow the EMT to:

identify contact points and predict potential injuries.

Which of the following would the paramedic be LEAST likely to ask the EMT to do?

intubate a patient

a laceration:

is a jagged cut caused by a sharp object or blunt force trauma.

A driver involved in a rollover motor vehicle crash will MOST likely experience serious injuries or death if he or she:

is ejected or partially ejected

A diabetic patient has polydipsia. This means that she:

is excessively thirsty

Approximately 25% of severe injuries to the aorta occur during:

lateral collisions

A patient has a blood pressure of 130/70 mm Hg. The "130" in this measurement represents:

ventricular contraction

Bleeding within the brain tissue itself is called a(n):

intracerebral hematoma.

At rest, the normal adult heart rate should not exceed:

100 beats/min

An adult at rest should have a respiratory rate that ranges between:

12 and 20 breaths/min

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

16 hrs

The air you breathe is _______ oxygen, and the air you exhale is _______ oxygen.

21%; 16%

The cervical spine is composed of _____ vertebrae

7

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

7:57.

Which of the following is a severe burn in a 2-year-old child?

Any full-thickness burn, regardless of its location on the body

Which of the following is a severe burn in a 35-year-old patient?

Circumferential partial-thickness burn to the chest

A 33-year-old male sustained an abdominal evisceration to the left lower quadrant of his abdomen after he was cut with a large knife. After appropriately managing his ABCs and assessing him for other life-threatening injuries, how should you care for his wound?

Cover it with moist, sterile gauze and secure with an occlusive dressing.

Why does the incidence of diabetes mellitus increase with age?

Decreased physical activity, increased weight gain, and decreased insulin production

Which of the following is an effective stress management strategy?

Developing a social network outside of EMS

Which of the following is a sign of compartment syndrome?

Pain upon passive movement of the injury site

Which of the following is a severe burn in a 65-year-old patient?

Partial-thickness burn to 20% of the body surface area

Which of the following structures does not contain smooth muscle?

Skeletal system

Which of the following statements regarding gunshot wounds is correct?

The speed of a bullet has the greatest impact on the injury produced.

The term "supraventricular tachycardia" means:

a rapid heart rate that originates from above the ventricles.

Common signs and symptoms of a serious head injury include all of the following, except:

a rapid, thready pulse.

Signs of adequate breathing in the adult include all of the following, except:

a reduction in tidal volume

Movement or motion away from the body's midline is called:

abduction

A sign of respiratory distress seen in the neck is:

accessory muscle use

Bleeding is normally stopped by:

activation of platelets

A 51-year-old female presents with a sudden onset of difficulty breathing. She is conscious and alert and able to speak in complete sentences. Her respirations are 22 breaths/min and regular. You should:

administer oxygen via nonrebreathing mask

Braxton-Hicks contractions are characterized by:

alleviation of pain with movement or changing positions

The actual exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs in the:

alveolar sacs.

As an EMT, the performance of your duties will be compared to that of:

another EMT

Acting in such a way as to make another person fear immediate bodily harm is called:

assault

According to the National EMS Scope of Practice Model, an EMT should be able to:

assist a patient with certain prescribed medications.

All information recorded on the PCR must be:

considered confidential

Ethnocentrism is defined as:

considering your own cultural values as more important when interacting with people of a different culture.

Cover it with moist, sterile gauze and secure with an occlusive dressing.

contusion

Common signs and symptoms of severe hyperglycemia include all of the following, EXCEPT:

cool, clammy skin

Classic signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia include:

cool, clammy skin; weakness; tachycardia; and rapid respirations.

Airbags are designed to:

decrease the severity of deceleration injuries.

Determination of exposure is an important component of an infection control plan because it:

defines who is at risk for contact with blood and body fluids and which tasks pose a risk of exposure.

A partial-thickness burn involves the outer layer of skin and a portion of the:

dermal layer

Placenta previa is defined as:

development of the placenta over the cervical opening.

An EMT would most likely be held liable for abandonment if he or she:

did not make provisions for continued care of an injured patient.

A fracture of the humerus just above the elbow would be described as a:

distal humerus fracture.

A precipitous labor and delivery is most common in women who:

have delivered a baby before.

In contrast to a Level III trauma center, a Level I trauma center must:

have general surgeons in hours 24 hrs a day

Signs and symptoms of preeclampsia include:

headache and edema

A by-product of involuntary muscle contraction and relaxation is:

heat

An effective team leader should:

help the team accomplish goals.

After applying a tourniquet, the injury from a patient's leg stops bleeding. This is called:

hemostasis

Which of the following types of consent allows treatment of a patient who is unconscious or mentally incapacitated?

implied

Characteristics of eustress following dispatch to a high-speed motor vehicle collision may include:

increased self-image from performing well under a challenging situation.

The topographic term used to describe the parts of the body that are nearer to the feet is:

inferior

What is the function of platelets?

initial formation of a blood clot

A 16-year-old female complains of vaginal bleeding and abdominal cramping that began several hours ago. During your assessment interview, you should:

inquire about the possibility of pregnancy in private, if possible

Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when:

insulin is not available in the body.

In contrast to the assessment of a trauma patient, assessment of a medical patient:

is focused on the nature of illness, the patient's chief complaint, and his or her symptoms.

The secondary assessment of a medical patient:

is not practical if the patient is critically ill or your transport time is short.

A tight-fitting motorcycle helmet should be left in place unless:

it interferes with your assessment of the airway.

A hematoma develops when:

large blood vessels beneath the skin are damaged.

A high school football player was injured during a tackle and complains of neck and upper back pain. He is conscious and alert and is breathing without difficulty. The EMT should:

leave his helmet and shoulder pads in place.

All of the following are considered to be protected health information (PHI), except:

location of the call

The hypoxic drive is influenced by:

low blood oxygen levels

Continuing education in EMS serves to:

maintain, update, and expand the EMT's knowledge and skills.

At the scene of an automobile crash, a utility pole has been broken, and power lines are lying across the car. The patients inside the car are conscious. You should:

mark off a danger zone around the downed lines.

The muscle tissue of the heart is called the:

myocardium

Which type of medical direction do standing orders and protocols describe?

offline

A patient with a pneumothorax has unilateral chest expansion. This means that:

only one side of his chest rises when he inhales

The greatest danger in displaying a personal bias or "labeling" a patient who frequently calls EMS is:

overlooking a potentially serious medical condition.

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.

In relation to the chest, the back is:

posterior

If a newborn's heart rate is less than 60 beats/min following delivery, you should:

provide ventilations for 30 seconds.

An infant or small toddler would most likely gain trust in a person who:

provides an organized, routine environment

When the speed of a motor vehicle doubles, the amount of kinetic energy:

quadruples

An indicator of an expanding intracranial hematoma or rapidly progressing brain swelling is:

rapid deterioration of neurologic signs.

You are ventilating an apneic woman with a bag-mask device. She has dentures, which are tight fitting. Adequate chest rise is present with each ventilation, and the patient's oxygen saturation reads 96%. When you reassess the patency of her airway, you note that her dentures are now loose, although your ventilations are still producing adequate chest rise. You should:

remove her dentures, resume ventilations, and assess for adequate chest rise.

After receiving online orders from medical control to perform a patient care intervention, you should:

repeat the order to medical control word for word

You arrive at the scene of a domestic violence situation. As you approach the doorway of the apartment, you hear screaming and the statement, "He has a gun!". Your most appropriate action should be to:

seek a safe place and request law enforcement assistance.

When determining the frequency of contractions, you should time the contractions from the:

start of one to the start of the next

Symptomatic hypoglycemia will MOST likely develop if a patient:

takes too much of his or her prescribed insulin.

With increasing age, the heart must work harder to move the blood effectively because:

the blood vessels become stiff.

A female patient with a suspected head injury has slow, shallow breathing. The most appropriate treatment for her includes:

ventilation assistance to maintain an ETCO2 of 30 to 35 mm Hg.

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

The term "pericardiocentesis" means:

the removal of fluid from around the heart

An infant is premature if it:

weighs less than 5 pounds or is born before 36 weeks' gestation.

Critical incident stress management (CISM) can occur at an ongoing scene in all of the following circumstances, except:

when patients are actively being assessed or treated.

The index of suspicion is MOST accurately defined as:

your awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying injuries.