EMT Chapter 9

The normal respiration rate for an adult should range from:

12 to 20 breaths per minute.

A 29-year-old male with a head injury opens his eyes when you speak to him, is confused as to the time and date, and is able to move all of his extremities on command. His Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score is:

13.

During a 30-minute transport of a stable patient, you should reassess him or her at least ________ times.

2

A patient is unstable condition should be reassessed at least every:

5 minutes.

The rapid exam of a patient that occurs following the primary assessment should take no longer than:

60 to 90 seconds.

The goal of oxygenation for most patients is an oxygen saturation of:

94% to 99%

Which of the following scenarios does NOT involve the presence of any symptoms?

A 61-year-old female who is unconscious with facial cyanosis

Which of the following patients does NOT have signs of an altered mental status?

A patient with an acute allergic reaction and dizziness

Which of the following conditions would be LEAST likely to cause an altered level of consciousness?

Acute anxiety.

Which of the following pupillary changes would indicate depressed brain function?

Both pupils dilate with introduction of a bright light.

Which of the following is an example of a symptom?

Headache

What maneuver should be used to open the airway of an unresponsive patient with suspected trauma?

Jaw-thrust maneuver

For which of the following patients is spinal immobilization clearly indicated?

Man who was struck in the head and is now confused and has slurred speech.

An injured patient is assigned a total score of 9 on the GCS. He is assigned a score of 2 for eye opening, a score of 3 for verbal response, and a score of 4 for motor response. Which of the following clinical findings is consistent with his GCS score?

Opens eyes in response to pain, uses inappropriate words, withdraws from pain

Which of the following actions would NOT be performed during the scene size-up?

Rapidly assessing a patient's respiratory status.

Which of the following statements regarding the mechanism of injury (MOI) is correct?

The MOI may allow you to predict the severity of a patient's injuries.

When is it MOST appropriate to consider requesting additional ambulances at an accident scene?

When you determine there are multiple patients.

Which of the following statements regarding the secondary assessment is correct?

You may not have time to perform a secondary assessment you must continually manage life threats that were identified during the primary assessment.

A decrease in blood pressure may indicate:

a loss of vascular tone.

An elderly patient has fallen and hit her head. Your initial care should focus on:

airway, breathing, and circulation.

Treatment and transport priorities at the scene of a mass-casualty incident should be determined after:

all the patients have been triaged.

A 39-year-old male sustained a stab wound to the groin during an altercation at a bar. As you approach the patient, you note that he is conscious. He is screaming in pain and is attempting to control the bleeding, which is bright red and spurting from his groin area. You should:

apply direct pressure to the wound.

When palpating the carotid pulse of a responsive patient, you should:

avoid compressing both carotid arteries simultaneously.

An adult patient who is NOT experiencing difficulty breathing will:

be able to speak in complete sentences without unusual pauses.

When you shine a light into one pupil, the normal reaction of the other pupil should be to:

become smaller.

During an EMS call, you should take standard precautions:

before exiting the ambulance and before actual patient contact.

When performing the secondary assessment on a trauma patient, you note the presence of Battle sign. This is defined as:

bruising behind the ear.

While en route to the scene of a shooting, the dispatcher advises you that the caller states that the perpetrator has fled the scene. You should:

confirm this information with law enforcement personnel at the scene.

When you inspect a patient's pupils with a penlight, the pupils should normally react to the light by:

constricting.

A patient's short-term memory is MOST likely intact if he or she correctly answers questions regarding:

date and event.

Cyanosis of the skin is caused by:

decreased blood oxygen.

A 50-year old male is found unconscious in his car. There were no witnesses to the event. When gathering medical history for this patient, the EMT should:

determine if the patient has a medical alert bracelet or wallet card.

When evaluating a patient with multiple complaints, the EMT's responsibility is to:

determine which complaint poses the greatest threat to the patient's life.

The pulse oximeter is an assessment tool used to evaluate the:

effectiveness of oxygenation.

When approaching a 32-year-old male who is complaining of traumatic neck pain, you should:

ensure that the patient can see you approaching him.

A blood pressure cuff that is too small for a patient's arm will give a:

falsely high systolic and diastolic reading.

You should suspect that a patient is experiencing respiratory failure if he or she:

has bradycardia and diminished muscle tone.

The goal of the primary assessment is to:

identify and rapidly treat all life-threatening conditions.

After performing a primary assessment, a rapid exam of the body should be performed to:

identify less-obvious injuries that require immediate treatment.

You respond to a call for a female pedestrian who has been struck by a car. As your partner maintains manual stabilization of her head, you perform a primary assessment. She is unconscious, has ineffective breathing, and has bloody secretions in her mouth. You should:

immediate suction her oropharynx.

Upon arriving at the scene of a patient with difficulty breathing, you determine that the scene is safe. You enter the residence and find the patient sitting in a chair in respiratory distress. Your first action should be to:

introduce yourself to the patient.

In patients with deeply pigmented skin, changes in color may be apparent only in certain areas, such as the:

lips or oral mucosa.

A 40-year-old male presents with pain to the right upper quadrant of his abdomen. He is conscious and alert with stable vital signs. During your assessment, you note that his skin and sclera are jaundiced. You should suspect:

liver dysfunction.

The goal of the systematic head-to-toe exam that is performed during the secondary assessment is to:

locate injuries not found in the primary assessment.

As you assess the head of a patient with a suspected spinal injury, your partner should:

maintain stabilization of the head.

The diastolic blood pressure represents the:

minimum amount of pressure that is always present in the arteries.

The chief complaint is MOST accurately defined as the:

most serious thing the patient is concerned about.

A 40-year-old male crashed his motorcycle into a tree. He is semiconscious, has snoring respirations, and has a laceration to the forearm with minimal bleeding. You should:

open his airway with the jaw-thrust maneuver.

In infants and small children, skin color should be assessed on the:

palms and soles.

The MOST effective way to determine whether your patient's problem is medical or traumatic in origin is to:

perform a careful and thorough assessment.

During your assessment of a 6-month old male with vomiting and diarrhea, you note that his capillary refill time is approximately 4 seconds. From this information, you should conclude that the infant's:

peripheral circulation is decreased.

You are assessing a 72-year-old man with abdominal pain. The patient is sitting in a chair; he is conscious, alert, and calm. As you are talking to the patient, your partner discreetly directs your attention to a handgun, which is located on a nearby table. You should:

position yourself in between the patient and the gun and ask your partner to request law enforcement assistance.

A palpable pulse is created by:

pressure waves through the arteries caused by cardiac contraction.

During the primary assessment, circulation is evaluated by assessing:

pulse quality, external bleeding, and skin condition.

In responsive patients who are older than 1 year of age, you should palpate the pulse at the ________ artery.

radial

Pain that moves from its point of origin to another body location is said to be:

radiating.

If a patient develops difficulty breathing after your primary assessment, you should immediately:

reevaluate his or her airway status.

A pulse with a consistent pattern is considered to be:

regular.

When performing a reassessment of your patient, you should first:

repeat the primary assessment.

Jugular venous distention suggests a problem with blood returning to the heart if the patient is:

sitting up at a 45° angle.

You respond to the residence of a 62-year-old male who is unresponsive. Your primary assessment reveals that he is apneic and pulseless. You should:

start CPR and attach the AED as soon as possible.

A crackling sound produced by air bubbles under the skin is called:

subcutaneous emphysema.

The pressure exerted against the walls of the artery when the left ventricle contracts is called the:

systolic pressure.

As time progresses following a significant injury:

the body's ability to compensate for shock decreases.

You should gently palpate a patient's pelvis only if:

the patient does not complain of pelvic pain.

Reassessment is performed to determine all of the following, EXCEPT:

the reason why the patient called EMS.

When assessing a 62-year-old female with crushing chest pain, you note that her pulse is rapid and irregular. You should administer supplemental oxygen if needed and then:

transport at once and consider requesting a paramedic unit.

A properly sized blood pressure cuff should cover:

two thirds the length from the armpit to the crease in the elbow.

When assessing motor function in a conscious patient's lower extremities, you should expect the patient to:

wiggle his or her toes on command.