EMT Chapter 17
Your patient opens his eyes, moans, and pulls away from you when you pinch his trapezius muscle. You should assign a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of:
8
Which of the following patients would MOST likely demonstrate typical signs of infection, such as a fever?
A 17-year-old male with anxiety
Which of the following findings should concern the EMT the MOST when assessing a patient who complains of a headache?
Neck stiffness or pain
Which of the following is a metabolic cause of a seizure?
Poisoning
Which of the following clinical signs is MOST suggestive of a ruptured aneurysm?
Sudden, severe headache
You are assessing a 49-year-old man who, according to his wife, experienced a sudden, severe headache and then passed out. He is unresponsive and has slow, irregular breathing. His blood pressure is 190/94 mm Hg and his pulse rate is 50 beats/min. His wife tells you that he has hypertension and diabetes. He has MOST likely experienced:
a ruptured cerebral artery.
A transient ischemic attack (TIA) occurs when:
a small clot in a cerebral artery causes temporary symptoms.
Components of the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale include:
arm drift, speech, and facial droop.
Law enforcement has summoned you to a nightclub, where a 22-year-old female was found unconscious in an adjacent alley. Your primary assessment reveals that her respirations are rapid and shallow and her pulse is rapid and weak. She is wearing a medical alert bracelet that identifies her as an epileptic. There is an empty bottle of vodka next to the patient. You should:
assist ventilations, perform a rapid exam, and prepare for immediate transport.
Muscle control and body coordination are controlled by the:
cerebellum.
During the primary assessment of a semiconscious 70-year-old female, you should:
ensure a patent airway and support ventilation as needed.
A 40-year-old patient without a history of seizures experiences a generalized (tonic-clonic) seizure. The LEAST likely cause of this seizure is:
epilepsy.
You are dispatched to a residence for a 66-year-old male who, according to family members, has suffered a massive stroke. Your primary assessment reveals that the patient is unresponsive, apneic, and pulseless. You should:
initiate CPR and attach an AED as soon as possible.
You arrive at the residence of a 33-year-old woman who is experiencing a generalized (tonic-clonic) seizure. She has a small amount of vomitus draining from the side of her mouth. After protecting her from further injury, you should:
maintain her airway with manual head positioning, suction her airway to remove the vomitus, insert a nasopharyngeal airway, and administer high-flow oxygen.
A patient with an altered mental status is:
not thinking clearly or is incapable of being aroused.
You arrive at a grocery store shortly after a 35-year-old male stopped seizing. Your assessment reveals that he is confused and incontinent of urine. The patient's girlfriend tells you that he has a history of seizures and takes topiramate (Topamax). When obtaining further medical history from the girlfriend, it is MOST important to:
obtain a description of how the seizure developed
An absence seizure is also referred to as a:
petit mal seizure.
You are assessing the arm drift component of the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale on a 60-year-old woman. When she holds both of her arms out in front of her and closes her eyes, both of her arms immediately fall to her sides. You should:
repeat the arm drift test, but move the patient's arms into position yourself.
A generalized (tonic-clonic) seizure is characterized by:
severe twitching of all the body's muscles.
You respond to a residence for a child who is having a seizure. Upon arrival at the scene, you enter the residence and find the mother holding her child, a 2-year-old male. The child is conscious and crying. According to the mother, the child had been running a high fever and then experienced a seizure that lasted approximately 3 minutes. You should:
transport the child to the hospital and reassure the mother en route.