EMT - Chapter 27

The phrenic nerves control the diaphragm and exit the spinal cord at:

C3, C4, and C5.

Which of the following organs or structures does NOT reside within the mediastinum?

Lungs

A 33-year-old male was stabbed in the left anterior chest. He is conscious, but is experiencing signs of shock. Further assessment reveals that his jugular veins are distended and his breath sounds are bilaterally equal and clear. This patient is MOST likely experiencing:

a pericardial tamponade.

A flail chest occurs when:

a segment of the chest wall is detached from the thoracic cage.

Pneumothorax is MOST accurately defined as:

accumulation of air in the pleural space

While jogging, a 19-year-old male experienced an acute onset of shortness of breath and pleuritic chest pain. He is conscious and alert with stable vital signs. During your focused exam, you note that he has diminished breath sounds over the left side of the chest. You should:

administer oxygen and transport to the hospital

A 37-year-old male was pinned between a flatbed truck and a loading dock. On exam, you find bruising to the chest, distended neck veins, bilaterally diminished breath sounds, and bilateral scleral hemorrhaging. You should:

aggressively manage his airway

An open pneumothorax occurs when:

air enters the pleural space from outside the body.

Subcutaneous emphysema is an indication that:

air is escaping into the chest wall from a damaged lung

Patients with rib fractures will commonly:

breathe rapidly and shallowly.

Signs and symptoms of a tension pneumothorax include all of the following, EXCEPT:

collapsed jugular veins.

You are transporting a stable patient with a possible pneumothorax. The patient is receiving 100% oxygen and has an oxygen saturation of 95%. During your reassessment, you find that the patient is now confused, hypotensive, and profusely diaphoretic. What is MOST likely causing this patient's deterioration?

compression of the aorta and vena cava

Your presence is requested by law enforcement to assess a 33-year-old female who was sexually assaulted. The patient is conscious and obviously upset. As you are talking to her, you note an impressive amount of blood on her clothes in the groin area. Her BP is 98/58 mm Hg, pulse is 130 beats/min, and respirations are 24 breaths/min. You should:

control any external bleeding, administer oxygen, and transport at once.

Hemoptysis is defined as

coughing up blood.

The thoracic cavity is separated from the abdominal cavity by the

diaphragm.

The thoracic cavity is separated from the abdominal cavity by the:

diaphragm.

Following a stab wound to the left anterior chest, a 25-year-old male presents with a decreased level of consciousness and signs of shock. Which of the following additional assessment findings should increase your index of suspicion for a cardiac tamponade?

engorged jugular veins

A spontaneous pneumothorax would MOST likely occur as the result of:

exertion of a person with a congenital lung defect

Airbags, in conjunction with properly worn seatbelts, are of MOST benefit when a person is involved in a:

head-on crash

Common signs and symptoms of a chest injury include all of the following, EXCEPT:

hematemesis.

You respond to a residence for a 40-year-old female who was assaulted by her husband; the scene has been secured by law enforcement. Upon your arrival, you find the patient lying supine on the floor in the kitchen. She is semiconscious with severely labored breathing. Further assessment reveals a large bruise to the left anterior chest, jugular venous distention, and unilaterally absent breath sounds. As your partner is supporting her ventilations, you should:

immediately request ALS support

Definitive care for a tension pneumothorax involves:

inserting a needle through the rib cage into the pleural space.

The MOST critical treatment for a tension pneumothorax involves:

inserting a needle through the rib cage into the pleural space.

You arrive at the scene of a major motor vehicle crash. The patient, a 50-year-old female, was removed from her vehicle prior to your arrival. Bystanders who removed her state that she was not wearing a seatbelt. The patient is unconscious, tachycardic, and diaphoretic. Your assessment reveals bilaterally clear and equal breath sounds, a midline trachea, and collapsed jugular veins. You should be MOST suspicious that this patient has experienced a:

laceration of the aorta.

While assessing a 21-year-old female who struck a tree head-on with her small passenger car, you note that her airbag deployed. You should:

lift the airbag and look for deformity to the steering wheel.

When a person is lying supine at the end of exhalation, the diaphragm

may rise as high as the nipple line.

If a person's tidal volume decreases, but his or her respiratory rate remains unchanged:

minute volume will decrease.

If a patient with a chest injury is only able to inhale small amounts of air per breath, he or she:

must increase his or her respiratory rate to maintain adequate minute volume.

A rapid, irregular pulse following blunt trauma to the chest is MOST suggestive of a:

myocardial contusion.

Asymmetry of the chest wall occurs when:

one side of the chest wall does not expand during inhalation.

A spinal cord injury at the level of C7 would MOST likely result in:

paralysis of the intercostal muscles.

You have sealed the open chest wound of a 40-year-old male who was stabbed in the anterior chest. Your reassessment reveals that he is experiencing increasing respiratory distress and tachycardia, and is developing cyanosis. You should:

partially remove the dressing.

It can be difficult to assess the severity of injuries to the genitourinary system following sexual assault because:

patients may be hesitant to allow you to examine them

The ________ nerves control the diaphragm.

phrenic

Irritation or damage to the pleural surfaces that causes sharp chest pain during inhalation is called

pleurisy.

In order to avoid exacerbating a patient's injury, it is especially important to use extreme caution when providing positive-pressure ventilation to patients with a:

pneumothorax.

A 28-year-old male was struck in the chest with a baseball bat during an altercation. He is conscious and alert and complains of severe chest pain. Your assessment reveals a large area of ecchymosis over the sternum and a rapid, irregular pulse. In addition to applying 100% oxygen, you should

prepare for immediate transport.

A 28-year-old male was struck in the chest with a baseball bat during an altercation. He is conscious and alert and complains of severe chest pain. Your assessment reveals a large area of ecchymosis over the sternum and a rapid, irregular pulse. In addition to applying 100% oxygen, you should:

prepare for immediate transport.

Following blunt trauma to the chest, an 18-year-old female presents with respiratory distress, reduced tidal volume, and cyanosis. Her blood pressure is 80/50 mm Hg and her pulse is 130 beats/min and thready. You should:

provide some form of positive-pressure ventilation

A patient who presents with profound cyanosis following a chest injury:

requires prompt ventilation and oxygenation.

The presence of tachycardia following a significant abdominal injury:

should be assumed to be a sign of shock.

When assessing a patient with a hemothorax, you would MOST likely find:

signs and symptoms of shock

During your assessment of a patient with blunt chest trauma, you note paradoxical movement of the left chest wall. As your partner is administering oxygen to the patient, you should:

stabilize the chest wall with a bulky dressing.

Elevation of the rib cage during inhalation occurs when:

the intercostal muscles contract.

Very young children tend to breathe predominantly with their diaphragm because:

their intercostal muscles are not fully developed.

Immediate death from blunt chest trauma following a motor vehicle crash is MOST often the result of

traumatic aortic rupture.

A 19-year-old male is unresponsive, apneic, and pulseless after being struck in the center of the chest with a softball. Based on the mechanism of injury, what MOST likely occurred?

ventricular fibrillation when the impact occurred during a critical portion of the cardiac cycle

Pleural fluid is contained between the:

visceral and parietal pleurae.