EMT- Chapter 18

Which of the following statements regarding the acute abdomen is correct?

The initial pain associated with an acute abdomen tends to be vague and poorly localized

Which of the following may help reduce your patient's nausea?

Low-flow oxygen

A 29-year-old pregnant woman has had severe vomiting for the last 2 days. Today, she is vomiting large amounts of blood. Her skin is cool and pale and she is tachycardic. The EMT should suspect:

Mallory-Weiss tear

Which of the following statements regarding dialysis is correct?

Patients who miss a dialysis treatment often present with weakness

A 59-year-old male presents with sudden-onset severe lower back pain. He is conscious and alert, but very restless and diaphoretic. Your assessment reveals a pulsating mass to the left of his umbilicus. You should:

administer oxygen and prepare for immediate transport

A 47-year-old male presents with severe abdominal pain of 3 hours' duration. His abdomen is distended and guarded. Your MOST important consideration for this patient should be to:

be alert for signs and symptoms of shock

Your patient complains of abdominal pain that occurs mostly at night or after eating fatty foods. You should suspect ____________.

cholecystitis

Peritonitis may result in shock because

fluid shifts from the bloodstream into body tissues

For a patient with a gastrointestinal complaint, it is MOST important for the EMT to _________.

identify whether the patient requires rapid transport

A young female presents with costovertebral angle tenderness. She is conscious and alert with stable vital signs. Which of the following organs is MOST likely causing her pain?

kidney

Most patients with abdominal pain prefer to:

lie on their side with their knees drawn into the abdomen

When assessing a patient with abdominal pain, you should:

palpate the abdomen in a clockwise direction, beginning with the quadrant after the one the patient indicates is painful

Which of the following organs lies in the retroperitoneal space?

pancreas

Your patient complains of chronic "burning" stomach pain that improves after eating. You should suspect:

peptic ulcer disease

A 30-year-old woman with a history of alcoholism presents with severe upper abdominal pain and is vomiting large amounts of bright red blood. Her skin is cool, pale, and clammy; her heart rate is 120 beats/min and weak; and her blood pressure is 70/50 mm Hg. Your MOST immediate action should be to:

protect her airway from aspiration

An important aspect in the treatment of a patient with severe abdominal pain is to:

provide emotional support en route to the hospital

Pain that may be perceived at a distant point on the surface of the body, such as the back or shoulder, is called:

referred pain

Which of the following helps filter the blood and has no digestive function?

spleen

Urinary tract infections are more common in ____________.

women

Which of the following is correct about the secondary assessment for a high-priority patient?

you may not have time to complete a secondary assessment