EMT Chapter 14: Medical Overview
_______is transmitted orally through oral or fecal contamination.
Hepatitis A
Which of the following assessment findings is MOST indicative of a cardiovascular problem?
Jugular venous distention
Which of the following is bacterium resistant to most antibiotics and causes skin abscesses?
MRSA
________ is a bacterium that causes infections and is resistant to most antibiotics.
MRSA
Which of the following conditions is NOT categorized as a psychiatric condition?
Substance abuse
The incubation period for hepatitis B is typically:
4 to 12 weeks
In which of the following situations would it be MOST appropriate to utilize an air medical transportation service?
61-year-old man with signs and symptoms of a stroke and a ground transport time of 50 minutes
Which of the following patients is at greatest risk for complications caused by the influenza virus?
68-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes
Congestive Heart Failure is an example of:
A Cardiovascular medical illness
Diverticulitis is an example of:
A Gastrointestinal medical illness
Pelvic inflammatory disease is an example of:
A Gynecologic medical illness
Diabetes Mellitus is an example of:
An Endocrine medical illness
A patient who presents with a headache, fever, confusion, and red blotches on his or her skin should be suspected of having:
meningitis
Assessment of the medical patient is usually focused on the _________.
nature of illness (NOI)
It is especially important to assess pulse, sensation, and movement in all extremities as well as pupillary reactions in patients with a suspected ___________ problem.
neurologic
You should assess pulse, motor, and sensation in all of the extremities and check for pupillary reactions if you suspect a(n) _____ problem.
neurologic
Assessment of a patient's blood pressure with an automatic BP cuff reveals that it is 204/120 mm Hg. The patient is conscious and alert and denies any symptoms. The EMT should:
obtain a manual blood pressure.
You have just completed your primary assessment of a 48-year-old man with crushing chest pain. The patient has been given 324 mg of aspirin and is receiving high-flow oxygen via nonrebreathing mask. As you begin your secondary assessment, you note that his mental status has deteriorated and he is now bradycardic. You should:
prepare the patient for immediate transport
In addition to obtaining a SAMPLE history and asking questions related to the chief complaint, what else should you inquire about when assessing a patient with a potentially infectious disease?
recent travel
Reassessment of a patient with a medical complaint should begin by:
repeating the primary assessment.
End-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) monitoring is clearly indicated for patients who present with
respiratory distress
Which of the following conditions often requires transport to a hospital with specialized capabilities that may not be available at the closest hospital?
stroke and heart attack
When caring for a patient who takes numerous medications, it is best to:
take all of the patient's medications with you to the hospital and document them on your patient care report.
After sizing up the scene of a patient with a possible infectious disease, your next priority should be to:
take standard precautions.
When forming your general impression of a patient with a medical complaint, it is important to remember that:
the conditions of many medical patients may not appear serious at first.
Ten days after treating a 34-year-old patient with tuberculosis, you are given a tuberculin skin test, which yields a positive result. This MOST likely indicates that:
you were exposed to another infected person prior to treating the 34-year-old patient.
Patients with tuberculosis pose the greatest risk for transmitting the disease when they:
cough
Typical chief complaints in patients with an infectious disease include:
fever, rash, nausea, and difficulty breathing
When performing a secondary assessment on a conscious patient with nontraumatic abdominal pain and stable vital signs, you should:
focus on his or her chief complaint.
The BEST way to prevent infection from whooping cough is to:
get vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.
The _____ is your awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying and unseen injuries or illnesses.
index of suspicion
In contrast to viral hepatitis, toxin-induced hepatitis:
is not a communicable disease
The secondary assessment of a medical patient:
is not practical if the patient is critically ill or your transport time is short.
Most treatments provided in the prehospital setting are intended to _________.
address the patient's symptoms
The determination of whether a medical patient is a high-priority or low-priority transport is typically made:
after the primary assessment has been completed.
Modes of transportation ultimately come in two categories: ground and_________
air
A 33-year-old female presents with lower abdominal quadrant pain. She is conscious and alert, but in moderate pain. While your partner is asking her questions about her medical history, you take her vital signs. When you assess her radial pulse, you are unable to locate it. You should:
assess the rate, regularity, and quality of her carotid pulse
You should assess vital signs every ______ minutes in an unstable patient and every 15 minutes in a stable patient.
5
Hemophilia is an example of:
A Hematologic medical illness
Asthma is an example of:
A Respiratory medical illness
An infectious disease is MOST accurately defined as:
a medical condition caused by the growth and spread of small, harmful organisms within the body.
________occurs when you become focused on one aspect of the patient's condition and exclude all others.
Tunnel Vision
Most patients with an infectious disease will have _________.
a fever
Which of the following medications would the EMT be LEAST likely to administer to a patient with a medical complaint?
Ibuprofen
Which of the following statements regarding methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is correct?
MRSA is a bacterium that causes infections and is resistant to most antibiotics.
When assessing a patient with a medical complaint, which of the following would MOST likely reveal the cause of the problem?
Medical history
Substance abuse is an example of:
Toxicologic Medical Problems
Your primary assessment of an elderly woman reveals that she is conscious and alert, but is experiencing difficulty breathing. She has a history of emphysema, hypertension, and congestive heart failure. As you assess the patient's circulatory status, you should direct your partner to:
administer oxygen with the appropriate device.
In addition to looking for severe bleeding, assessment of circulation in the conscious patient should involve:
checking the radial pulse and noting the color, temperature, and condition of the skin.
You are attending to a 27-year-old male driver of a car. According to his passenger, the patient had been acting strangely while driving, then slumped forward against the steering wheel, apparently unconscious. The car drove off the road and struck a telephone pole. The patient remains unconscious, and physical assessment reveals only a large hematoma on his right forehead with no other physical signs. Your patient is a diabetic who had been under a lot of stress lately and may have missed meals. This is an example of a:
combination of a medical and trauma emergency.
A 58-year-old man complains of chest pain and nausea. He is conscious and alert; his blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg, his pulse is 104 beats/min, and his respirations are 16 breaths/min. The patient tells you that he was recently discharged from the hospital and takes numerous medications for his heart and blood pressure. You should:
determine what medications he takes, and ask him if he has been compliant with them
Hepatitis B is more virulent than hepatitis C, which means that it:
has a greater ability to produce disease.
When caring for a patient with an altered mental status and signs of circulatory compromise, you should:
limit your time at the scene to 10 minutes or less, if possible.
You and your EMT partner arrive at the residence of a 50-year-old man who complains of weakness. Your primary assessment reveals that he is critically ill and will require aggressive treatment. The closest hospital is 25 miles away. You should:
manage all threats to airway, breathing, and circulation and consider requesting an ALS unit.
In 2009, the H1N1 virus accounted for over 200,000 deaths worldwide in the form of the swine flu. In 1919, a similar outbreak of the H1N1 occurred in the form of the Spanish flu. Starting in Kansas City, the virus spread rapidly worldwide, claiming up to 50 million lives. These are both examples of:
pandemics