EMS Chapter 33 Environmental Emergencies

Which of the following medications increases a person's risk of a heat-related emergency?

Diuretics

Which of the following conditions would be the least likely to increase a person's risk of hypothermia?

Hyperglycemia

Which of the following is an early sign of pit viper envenomation?

Local swelling and ecchymosis

You are dispatched to a residence for a young female who is sick. The patient complains of a rash to her lower extremities and truncal area. Your assessment reveals a small, painful blister on her inner thigh. As your partner is taking the patient's vital signs, she states that she and her family returned from a camping trip two days ago. On the basis of this patient's presentation, you should suspect:

Lyme disease.

Compared to adults, infants and children are at higher risk for hypothermia for all of the following reasons, except:

a relatively small surface area.

To assess a patient's general body temperature, pull back on your glove and place the back of your hand on his or her skin at the:

abdomen

After being stung on the leg by a jellyfish, a man complains of severe pain to his leg, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. He has a red rash covering his trunk, and his blood pressure is 90/50 mm Hg. The EMT should:

administer oxygen and epinephrine and prepare for rapid transport.

A 30-year-old male was rescued after being lost in the woods for approximately 18 hours. The outside temperature is 30°F (-1°C). He is immediately placed in the warmed ambulance, where you perform a primary assessment. He is unresponsive, pale, and apneic. You should:

assess for a carotid pulse for up to 60 seconds.

Patients with generalized hypothermia are at an increased risk of a local cold injury because:

blood is shunted away from the extremities to the body's core.

The diving reflex might allow a person to survive extended periods of submersion in cold water secondary to:

bradycardia and a slowing of the metabolic rate.

In contrast to Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever:

can cause paralysis and cardiorespiratory collapse.

The venom of a brown recluse spider is cytotoxic, meaning that it:

causes severe local tissue damage.

When a warm hand is immersed in water that is 70°F (21°C), heat is transferred from the hand to the water through a process called:

conduction

The body's natural protective mechanisms against heat loss are:

constriction of blood vessels in the skin and shivering.

The body's natural cooling mechanism, in which sweat is converted to a gas, is called:

evaporation

Geriatric patients, newborns, and infants are especially prone to hyperthermia because they:

exhibit poor thermoregulation.

Common signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include all of the following, except:

hot, dry skin.

Shivering is a mechanism in which the body generates heat by:

increasing the metabolic rate.

To obtain the most accurate reading of a patient's core body temperature, you should place a special hypothermia thermometer:

into the patient's rectum.

In contrast to the brown recluse spider, the black widow spider:

is large and has a red-orange hourglass mark on its abdomen.

For sweating to be an effective cooling mechanism:

it must evaporate from the body.

A frostbitten foot can be identified by the presence of:

mottling and blisters.

You are dispatched to a local high school track and field event for a 16-year-old male who fainted. The outside temperature is approximately 95°F (35°C) with high humidity. Upon your arrival, the patient is conscious, alert, and complains of nausea and a headache. His skin is cool, clammy, and pale. You should:

move him into the cooled ambulance.

Your assessment of a 23-year-old female reveals a core body temperature of 93.4°F (34°C). She is conscious, answers your questions appropriately, is shivering, and complains of nausea. Her skin is cold and pale, her muscles appear rigid, and her respirations are rapid. You should:

place heat packs to her groin, axillae, and behind her neck; cover her with warm blankets; and avoid rough handling.

You are transporting a 28-year-old man with a frostbitten foot. The patient's vital signs are stable, and he denies any other injuries or symptoms. The weather is treacherous, and your transport time to the hospital is approximately 45 minutes. During transport, you should:

protect the affected part from further injury.

High air temperature reduces the body's ability to lose heat by:

radiation

A patient with a core body temperature of 95°F (35°C) will most likely experience:

rapid breathing.

Burns associated with lightning strikes are typically:

superficial

A 31-year-old male was bitten on the leg by an unidentified snake. The patient is conscious and alert and in no apparent distress. Your assessment of his leg reveals two small puncture marks with minimal pain and swelling. In addition to administering oxygen and providing reassurance, further care for this patient should include:

supine positioning, splinting the leg, and transporting.

The two most efficient ways for the body to eliminate excess heat are:

sweating and vasodilation.