EMT: Chapter 11 [pharmacology]

What medication form does oral glucose come in?

gel

The original chemical name of a drug, which is not capitalized, and is suggested by the drug's first manufacturer is called the:

generic name

Which of the following statements regarding parenteral medications is correct?

parenteral medications are absorbed more quickly than enteral medications

You arrive at a residence approximately 20 minutes after a 7-year-old boy, who weighs 22 kg, ingested a bottle of Advil. He is conscious and alert and has stable vital signs. Medical control orders you to administer activated charcoal and oxygen and then transport the child at once. The appropriate maximum dose of activated charcoal for this child is:

44 g

With the flowmeter set at 6 L/min, the nasal cannula will deliver up to _______ oxygen.

44%

The __________ of a medication usually dictates the route by which it will be administered.

form

Fastest way to deliver a chemical substance is by the _____ route:

IV

Which of the following is the MOST rapidly acting medication administration route?

IV

When gathering a patient's medications, you find the following: Isordil, Lasix, Motrin, and Digoxin. Which of these medications can be obtained over-the-counter (OTC)?

Motrin

[34-year-old male unresponsive, lying supine and unconscious on living room floor] Which of the following medications might be useful in this situation?

Naloxone

Which of the following is an example of a brand (trade) name of a drug?

Tylenol (upper case)

The government publication listing all drugs in the US is called the:

United States Pharmacopoeia

What is an enteral drug?

any drug that is administered along any portion of the GI tract

The passage of a substance through some surface of the body into body fluids and tissues is known as:

absorption

Which of the following medications is a suspension?

activated charcoal

While assisting a paramedic in the attempted resuscitation of a 55-year-old male in cardiac arrest, you should expect the paramedic to:

administer drugs via the IV route to achieve the fastest effect

You are dispatched to a state park for a young female experiencing an allergic reaction. Your assessment reveals that her breathing is severely labored and her blood pressure is very low. You carry epinephrine auto-injectors on your ambulance and have been trained and approved by your medical director to administer them. As your partner gives the patient high-flow oxygen, you attempt to contact medical control but do not have a signal from your cell phone. You should:

administer epinephrine to the patient, begin immediate transport, and attempt to contact medical control en route to the hospital

The process of binding or sticking to a surface is called:

adsorption

Which of the following is taken into consideration when determining dose of a medication?

age

What medication is commonly administered in a MDI?

albuterol

Which of the following statements regarding the metered-dose inhaler (MDI) is correct?

an MDI delivers the same amount of medication every time it is used

If you administered naloxone (Narcan) to a patient who overdosed on morphine, what effect would occur?

antagonism

A 49-year-old male with an extensive cardiac history presents with 2 hours of crushing chest pain and shortness of breath. He is pale and diaphoretic and tells you that he feels like he is going to die. His medications include nitroglycerin, sildenafil (Viagra), and enalapril (Vasotec). His blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg and his heart rate is 110 beats/min. In addition to administering 100% oxygen, you should:

ask him if he took Viagra within the past 24 hours

Which of the following is an example of a drug's generic name?

aspirin (anything that's lowercase)

As you are treating a patient, he tells you that he has a bleeding ulcer and took Cialis 12 hours ago. Which of the following medications are contraindicated for this patient?

aspirin, nitroglycerin

A 62-year-old male presents with crushing chest pain, which he describes as being the same kind of pain that he had with a previous heart attack. He has prescribed nitroglycerin but states that he has not taken any. After administering 100% oxygen and contacting medical control, you should:

assist him with his nitroglycerin unless his systolic BP is < 100 mm Hg

A 37-year-old male is found unconscious in his car. His airway is patent and his respirations are rapid and labored. As you and your partner are assessing and treating the patient, a police officer hands you a medication named Alupent, which he found in the backseat of the patient's car. This medication suggests that the patient has a history of:

asthma

An EMT may administer aspirin to a patient if:

authorization from medical control has been obtained

Subcutaneous injections deliver the medication:

between the skin and the muscle

A medication with antagonistic properties is one that:

blocks receptor sites and prevents other chemicals from attaching to them

Adverse reactions associated with epinephrine include all of the following, EXCEPT:

bradycardia

A form of solid drug that is stored in a gelatin shell filled with liquid or powder is called a:

capsule

Medications encased in a gelatin shell taken by mouth are called:

capsules

When assessing an elderly male who complains of nausea and generalized weakness, you find that he takes simvastatin (Vytorin) and clopidogrel (Plavix). This medication regimen suggests a history of:

cardiovascular disease

You are treating a middle-aged man with chest discomfort. He has a history of three previous heart attacks and takes nitroglycerin as needed for chest pain. You have standing orders to administer aspirin to patients with suspected cardiac-related chest pain or discomfort. While your partner is preparing to give oxygen to the patient, you should:

confirm that the patient is not allergic to aspirin, give him the appropriate dose of aspirin, and document the time and dose given

You are dispatched to a movie theater for a 39-year-old female with signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction. As you are assessing her, she pulls an epinephrine auto-injector out of her purse and hands it to you. After administering 100% oxygen, you should:

contact medical control

A 40-year-old man with diabetes has a blood glucose level of 38 mg/dL. However, because he is unconscious and unable to swallow oral glucose, the medication is:

contraindicated

Oral glucose is ______________ for this patient

contraindicated

Which of the following is not a characteristic of epinenephrine:

decreases heart rate and BP

Which of the following statements regarding the epinephrine auto-injector is correct?

delivers a preset amount of the drug

Nitroglycerin relieves pain because its purpose is to increase blood flow by relieving the spasms or causing the arteries to:

dilate

Nitroglycerin relieves the squeezing or crushing pain associated with angina by:

dilating the arteries to increase O2 supply to the heart muscle

Activated charcoal is frequently suspended in sorbitol, a complex sugar that:

facilitates movement through the digestive system

The removal of particles from a solution by allowing the liquid portion to pass through a membrane or other partial barrier is called:

filtration

You are treating a 45-year-old woman who was stung by a hornet and has a rash. She tells you that she is allergic to hornets and has her own epinephrine auto-injector. She also tells you that she takes medication for hypertension. Her breath sounds do not reveal any wheezing, her breathing is unlabored, and her blood pressure is 154/94 mm Hg. What should you do if you are not able to make contact with medical control?

give her O2, transport her to the hospital, and monitor her condition en route

Which medication commonly comes in gel form?

glucose

Which of the following statements regarding glucose is correct?

glucose is a simple sugar that is readily absorbed by the bloodstream

Which of the following is considered a relative contraindication to the administration of aspirin?

history of asthma

The MOST common contraindication for any medication is:

hypersensitivity

The medical term for an extremely low blood glucose level is:

hypoglycemia

You administer 0.4 mg of nitroglycerin to your 55-year-old patient with chest pain. Which of the following adverse reactions should you be MOST observant for?

hypotension

Which of the following signs indicate narcotic-induced CNS depression and would indicate the administration of naloxone?

hypoventilation

Advil, Nuprin, and Motrin are brand (trade) names for the generic medication:

ibuprofen

Which of the following medications are typically administered via the subcutaneous route?

insulin, epinephrine

Which of the following medication administration routes would result in uneven, unreliable absorption if given to a patient with decreased peripheral perfusion?

intramuscular

A mucosal atomizer device (MAD) is used to deliver certain medications via the:

intranasal route

The most common technique for naloxone administration is via the:

intranasal route

Which of the following medication routes would be the MOST appropriate to use in an unconscious patient when intravenous access cannot be obtained?

intraosseous (IO)

Nitroglycerin is especially useful in treating patients with cardiac ischemia because it:

is a vasodilator and lowers preload on the heart

A drug is contraindicated for a patient when it:

may cause harm or negative effect

The function of a drug or the particular action of a drug on an organism is called:

mechanism of action

Which of the following medications could be administered via the intranasal route with a mucosal atomizer device?

naloxone

Which of the following medications could cause a potentially fatal interaction if given within 24 to 36 hours of Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra?

nitroglycerin

Outside a hospital, a _________________ is the preferred method of giving O2 to patients who are experiencing significant respiratory distress:

non-breathing mask

Which medication has the slowest rate of absorption?

oral

Which of the following medications is administered in gel form?

oral glucose

In ___________ administration, you are administering medication to yourself or your partner.

peer-assisted

Shortly after assisting a 65-year-old female with her prescribed nitroglycerin, she begins complaining of dizziness and experiences a drop of 30 mm Hg in her systolic blood pressure. The patient remains conscious and her breathing is adequate. You should:

place her supine and elevate her legs

Aspirin is beneficial to patients suspected of having a heart attack because it:

prevents the aggregation of platelets

A 31-year-old female is experiencing an acute asthma attack. She is conscious and alert, but in obvious respiratory distress. After assisting her with her prescribed MDI, you should:

reassess the patient and document her response to the medication

A 74-year-old woman complains of heaviness in her chest, nausea, and sweating that suddenly began about an hour ago. She is conscious and alert, but anxious. Her blood pressure is 144/84 mm Hg and her heart rate is 110 beats/min. She took two of her prescribed nitroglycerin (0.4-mg tablets) before your arrival but still feels heaviness in her chest. You should:

recall that geriatric patients often have slower absorption and elimination times, which may necessitate modifications of the dosing of certain drugs

When given to patients with cardiac-related chest pain, nitroglycerin:

relaxes the walls of the coronary arteries

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of epinephrine:

secreted naturally by pituitary gland

Which of the following statements about O2 is false?

should be administered to all patients; is not flammable

After taking diphendydramine (Benadryl) for an allergic reaction, a person begins experiencing drowsiness and a dry mouth. These findings are an example of a(n):

side effect

A liquid mixture of one or more substances that cannot be separated by filtering or allowing the mixture to stand is called a/an:

solution (NOT a suspension)

Which of the following routes of administration involves medication being absorbed in the fat tissue between the skin and muscle?

subcutaneous

How is nitroglycerin usually given by the EMT?

sublingually

Activated charcoal is an example of a:

suspension

Which of the following statements regarding medication administration in pediatric patients is correct?

the products of metabolism in children can vary from those seen in adults, which may sometimes result in unexpected responses

The term "pharmacology" is MOST accurately defined as:

the study of drugs and their actions on the body

Nitroglycerin relaxes vascular smooth muscle, dilates the coronary arteries, and relieves cardiac chest pain. These properties of nitroglycerin are called:

therapeutic effects

Which of the following statements regarding over-the-counter (OTC) medications is correct?

they do not require a prescription

What might happen if a drug is given to a patient with liver disease?

toxic blood levels of the drug

Brand name that a manufacturer uses:

trade name

Which of the following medication routes delivers a drug through the skin over an extended period of time, such as a nitroglycerin or nicotine patch?

transcutaneous