EMT: Chapter 9 [patient assessment]

Which of the following patient responses would establish the "E" in the SAMPLE history?

"I was mowing the lawn when the pain began"

Which of the following questions is used to determine a patient's chief complaint?

"What seems to be the matter?"

Which of the following questions would you ask a patient to ascertain the "M" in the SAMPLE history?

"how much Tylenol do you take each day?"

The normal respiratory rate for an adult should range from:

12-20 breaths/min

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

When you assess capillary refill time (CRT) in an infant, normal color to the tested area should return within:

2 seconds

Normal respiratory rates should not exceed _______ breaths per minute in children and _______ breaths per minute in infants.

30/50

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

5 minutes

The full-body scan of a patient that occurs following the primary assessment should take no longer than:

60-90 seconds

In the adult, bradycardia is defined as a pulse rate less than _______ beats/min, and tachycardia is defined as a heart rate greater than _______ beats/min.

60/100

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

94-99%

In which of the following situations is a pertinent negative identified?

a 59-year-old complains of crushing chest pain but denies SOB

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

a 61-year-old female, unconscious, w facial cyanosis

A decrease in the blood pressure may indicate:

a loss of vascular tone

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

a pt 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

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

all the pts have been triaged

When using the pulse oximeter as part of your assessment of a patient, it is important to remember that:

any situation that causes vasoconstriction or loss of RBCs (ex. anemia, bleeding) may result in an inaccurate value

Poor peripheral circulation will cause the skin to appear:

ashen

You receive a call to a local daycare center for an unresponsive 8-month-old infant. Upon arrival, you perform an assessment and determine that the infant is not breathing. After delivering two rescue breaths, you should:

assess for the presence of a brachial pulse

Which of the following is the MOST effective method of assessing the quality of air movement in the lungs?

auscultating breath sounds with a stethoscope

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

avoid compressing both carotid arteries simultaneously

Which of the following factors would MOST likely cause a patient's pulse rate to be slower than normal?

beta-blocker medications

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

both pupils dilate with introduction of a bright light

When auscultating the blood pressure in a patient's upper extremity, you should place the diaphragm (head) of the stethoscope over the _________ artery.

brachial

When performing a full-body scan on a trauma patient, you note the presence of Battle's sign. This is defined as:

bruising behind the ear

With regard to the assessment of a patient's cardiovascular status, capillary refill time is MOST reliable in:

children who are younger than 6 years of age

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

constrict

When assessing the skin of an unconscious patient, you note that it has a bluish tint to it. This finding is called:

cyanosis

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

determine if the pt 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 pt's life

A patient with profuse sweating is referred to as being:

diaphoretic

External bleeding from an extremity can usually be controlled by a combination of:

direct pressure and elivation

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 pt can see you approaching him

Upon arriving at a potentially unsafe scene, you should:

ensure that you are safe

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

falsely high systolic and diastolic reading

Which of the following findings indicates that your patient has a patent airway?

forceful coughing

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

has bradycardia and diminished muscle tone

Which of the following is an example of a symptom?

headache

The goal of the primary assessment is to:

identify and rapidly treat all life-threatening conditions

If you cannot palpate a pulse in an unresponsive patient, you should:

immediately begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation

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:

immediately 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 obvious distress. Your first action should be to:

introduce yourself to the pt

Which of the following statements regarding stridor is MOST correct?

it's a high-pitched, crowing upper airway sound

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

lips or oral mucosa

The goal of the full-body scan that is performed during the secondary assessment is to:

locate injuries not found in the primary assessment

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

The diastolic pressure represents the:

minimum amount of pressure that is always present in the arteries

Typical methods of assessing a patient's breathing include all of the following, EXCEPT:

observing for nasal flaring during inhalation

Which of the following MOST accurately describes paradoxical movement of the chest wall?

only one section of the chest rises on inspiration while another area falls

Which of the following conditions would MOST likely cause the pupils to remain significantly constricted?

overdose of an opiate drug

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

Which of the following is the MOST accurate guide to palpating a pulse?

place the tips of your index and long fingers over the pulse point

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 pt and gun and ask your partner to request law enforcement assistance

When performing a full-body scan on a supine patient, what part of the body is typically assessed last?

posterior

A palpable pulse is created by:

pressure waves through the arteries caused by cardiac contraction

A full-body scan should be performed on:

pts with significant MOI and unresponsive medical pts

During the primary assessment, circulation is evaluated by assessing:

pulse quality, external bleeding, skin condition

Observations made when forming a general impression of a patient would include all of the following, EXCEPT:

pulse strength

In responsive patients that 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

When palpating a patient's pulse, you note that there is a short interval between pulsations. This indicates that the pulse is:

rapid

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

reevaluate his/her airway status

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

repeat the primary assessment

Which of the following situations or conditions warrants immediate transport?

severe chest pain; cool, pale skin

Clinical signs of labored breathing include all of the following, EXCEPT:

shallow chest movement

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

sitting up at a 45 degree angle

Which of the following abnormal breath sounds indicates obstruction of the upper airway?

stridor

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

subcutaneous emphysema

When assessing a patient's abdomen, you will typically evaluate for all of the following, EXCEPT:

subcutaneous emphysema

After performing a head tilt-chin lift maneuver to open the airway of an unresponsive patient, you should:

suction as needed and insert an airway adjunct

Which of the following would the EMT most likely not perform on a responsive patient with a headache and no apparent life-threatening conditions?

systemic head-to-toe exam

When you use the palpation method to obtain a blood pressure, the measurement you obtain is the:

systolic BP

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

the MOI may allow you to predict the severity of a pt's injuries

The "Golden Period" begins when an injury occurs and ends when:

the pt receives definitive care

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

the reason why the pt called EMS

A low ETCO2 reading, as measured by capnography, would MOST likely be observed if:

there is an absence or decrease in the level of CO2 in the lungs

When a patient's respirations are shallow:

tidal volume is markedly reduced

When assessing a 62-year-old female with crushing chest pain, you note that her pulse is rapid and irregular. In addition to administering oxygen, you should:

transport at once and consider requesting a ALS intercept

Which of the following statements regarding the blood pressure is correct?

usually not measured in children < 3 y.a.

While evaluating a patient with chest pain, your partner tells you that the patient's blood pressure is 140/94 mm Hg. The lower number represents the pressure from the:

ventricles relaxing

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

when you determine there are multiple pts

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

wiggle his/her toes on command

Supplemental oxygen via nonrebreathing mask should be administered to patients:

with difficulty breathing and adequate tidal volume

Palpating the carotid pulse is not recommended in infants because:

you may inadvertently compress the trachea

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

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