EMT chapter 21

Your priority in caring for a patient with a surface contact poisoning is to:

avoid contaminating yourself.

The major side effect associated with administration of activated charcoal is:

black stools.

Substance abuse is MOST accurately defined as:

knowingly misusing a substance to produce a desired effect.

Atropine sulfate and pralidoxime chloride are antidotes for:

nerve gas agents.

A 7-year-old, 25-kg child ingested two bottles of Tylenol approximately 30 minutes ago and medical control orders you to administer activated charcoal. You should administer:

25 g

EMTs are dispatched for a teenage male who is "not acting right." When they arrive, they are informed that the patient was huffing. Several cans of Freon are found near the patient. Which of the following is unique consideration for this patient?

A sudden adrenaline release can cause a fatal dysrhythmia.

Which of the following sets of vital signs would the EMT MOST likely encounter in a patient with acute cocaine overdose?

BP, 200/100 mm Hg; pulse, 150 beats/min

Your paramedic partner administers atropine to a 49-year-old male with bradycardia. Which of the following side effects would you expect the patient to experience?

Dry mucous membranes

Common names for activated charcoal include all of the following, EXCEPT:

Fructose

During your assessment of a 50-year-old male who was found unresponsive in an alley, you note that he has slow, shallow respirations; bradycardia; facial cyanosis; and pinpoint pupils. As your partner begins assisting the patient's ventilations, he directs your attention to the patient's arms, which have multiple needle tracks on them. Which of the following would MOST likely explain the patient's presentation?

Heroin overdose

Airborne substances should be diluted with:

Oxygen

Which of the following statements regarding the Salmonella bacterium is correct?

The Salmonella bacterium itself causes food poisoning.

Which of the following questions would be LEAST pertinent during the initial questioning of a patient who ingested a substance?

Why was the substance ingested?

Activated charcoal administration is contraindicated in patients who have ingested:

acids or alkalis

In general, injected poisons are impossible to dilute or remove because they:

are usually absorbed quickly into the body.

A patient who presents with rapid breathing, nausea and vomiting, ringing in the ears, and hyperthermia should be suspected of ingesting a significant quantity of:

aspirin

You and your paramedic partner are caring for a patient who ingested codeine, acetaminophen (Tylenol), and hydrocodone (Vicodin). The patient is unresponsive, his breathing is slow and shallow, and his pulse is slow and weak. Treatment for this patient should include:

assisted ventilation and naloxone (Narcan).

As you enter the residence of a patient who has possibly overdosed, you should:

be alert for personal hazards

After administering activated charcoal to a patient, it is MOST important to:

be alert for vomiting.

Most poisonings occur via the __________ route.

ingestion

A 25-year-old man overdosed on heroin and is unresponsive. His breathing is slow and shallow and he is bradycardic. He has track marks on both arms. The EMT should:

insert a nasal airway and ventilate with a BVM.

The poison control center will be able to provide you with the most information regarding the appropriate treatment for a patient with a drug overdose if the center:

is aware of the substance that is involved.

Your unit is dispatched to the county jail for an intoxicated inmate. Upon arrival, you find the patient, a 33-year-old male, lying supine in a jail cell. He is responsive to painful stimuli only and has slow, shallow respirations. You should be MOST concerned that this patient:

may vomit and aspirate.

Before giving activated charcoal, you should:

obtain approval from medical control.

An EMT's primary responsibility to the patient who has been poisoned is to:

recognize that a poisoning occurred

A man with a prolonged history of alcohol abuse fell from a second-story balcony. His BP is 80/60 mm Hg, his heart rate is 120 beats/min, and his skin is cool and pale. When caring for this patient, the EMT should recall that:

reduced blood clotting worsens internal bleeding

In an apparent suicide attempt, a 19-year-old female ingested a full bottle of amitriptyline (Elavil). At present, she is conscious and alert and states that she swallowed the pills approximately 30 minutes earlier. Her blood pressure is 90/50 mm Hg, her pulse is 140 beats/min and irregular, and her respirations are 22 breaths/min with adequate depth. When transporting this patient, you should be MOST alert for:

seizures and cardiac arrhythmias.

You are dispatched to a local nursery for a 39-year-old female who is sick. When you arrive, you find the patient lying on the floor. She is semiconscious, has copious amounts of saliva coming from her mouth, and is incontinent of urine. You quickly feel her pulse and note that it is very slow. Immediate management for this patient should include:

thoroughly suctioning her oropharynx.

A person who routinely misuses a substance and requires increasing amounts to achieve the same effect is experiencing:

tolerance.

If you uncertain how to treat a patient who has been poisoned or exposed to a specific substance, you should:

try to find the container the substance was in.