Volume 3 Chapter 10
Which of these symptoms indicates that a patient might have a roundworm infection?
All of the above
Which of the following presenting signs may be the only indicator of pneumonia in geriatric patients?
Altered mental status
For infectious disease emergencies, which of the following best describes the process of always considering the interaction of the infectious agent, the host, and environment to allow you to determine your likelihood of exposure?
Assessing personal risk
Your patient is a 6-year-old female that has developed a sore throat, fever, and drooling over the past three hours. What is most likely the source of her infection?
Bacteria
Your patient reports that she has hepatitis C. How might that disease be transmitted to you?
Blood
What is the term for a highly-contagious ulcer, more frequently diagnosed in men, caused by Haemophilus ducreyi?
Chancroid
Which of the following is important to consider when assessing and treating infectious diseases in pediatric patients?
Children can quickly develop life-threatening dehydration.
The period when the host may exhibit signs of clinical disease and can transmit the infectious agent to another host is which of the following?
Communicable period
Which of the following can cause pathogenesis of fungi that are usually a part of the normal flora?
Consumption of broad-spectrum antibiotics
You and your partner possibly have been exposed to tuberculosis. What is the key intervention to prevent an active TB infection?
Early drug prophylaxis
In terms of contagious diseases, what are the interactions of host, infectious agent, and environment known as?
Elements of disease transmission
You are accidently stuck with the needle from the IV just initiated on a patient confirmed to have HIV. After washing your hand with warm water and soap, what should be done next?
Evaluation and possible prompt initiation of antiretroviral drugs
What is the risk of infection to health care workers from HIV-positive patients when Standard Precautions are adhered to?
Extremely rare
You are transporting a patient from a nursing home into the emergency room for violent behavior. Along with a urinary tract infection, what other set of signs/symptoms would lead to a sepsis diagnosis?
HR >90 bpm and tachypnea
What disease process can lead to the development of cirrhosis of the liver, esophageal varices, andascites?
Hepatitis
Which of the following is the most abundant class of antibodies found in blood serum and lymph?
IgG
What is the term for the individual identified as the person who first introduces an infectious agent to apopulation?
Index case
Which of the following parameters is not a way that a population is identified?
Index case
Your patient presents with continuous vomiting and diarrhea after eating at the local restaurant two hours earlier. He complains of severe abdominal pain and starting to feel very weak. Which of the following is the best treatment option?
Initiate IV fluids; replace at a rate sufficient to maintain blood pressure
In terms of public health, patients that present with clinical findings pertaining to a particular infectious disease should alert the paramedic to what possibility?
It may not be an isolated incident.
What is an organism that exists harmlessly as part of the normal human body environment and does not become a health threat until the body's immune system fails?
Opportunistic pathogen
You are caring for an elderly female experiencing respiratory distress. Currently you find her seated upright in bed with accessory muscle use. Audible rales can be heard; she is diaphoretic and warm to the touch, has a temperature of 102 degrees F, and her respiratory rate is 32. The patient tells you that her breathing has been getting worse all night. You auscultate the chest and hear rales and rhonchi in all fields of her left lung and rhonchi in her right base, but her right middle and upper lobes sound clear. What do you suspect her problem to be?
Pneumonia
Which of the following is NOT a good practice for the paramedic to help prevent disease prevention?
Put all equipment back in the squad, restock, make the cot, then wash your hands
In terms of patient privacy, what should paramedics reporting a potential incident of a patient with an infectious disease need to understand?
Reporting incidents of infectious disease may be done without fear of violating patient privacy.
During the care of a patient, her arterial bleeding results in blood splashing onto your face and eyes. Besides stopping care to immediately flush your face, what should you do?
Request that you and the patient both be tested for communicable diseases
What federal law provides that neither you nor your employer can force a patient to be tested for a communicable disease?
Ryan White Act
What is the disease that develops from a coronavirus and has an incubation period anywhere from 2-14 days?
SARS
You receive a phone call at your EMS station from a mother who tells you that her 12-year-old son has been sick for several days. She took him to the doctor that morning and was told that the infection wasviral, and antibiotics would not be effective against it; she wants to know what you would do. What would you tell her?
State you understand how she feels, but viral infections are usually self-limiting and treated according to their symptoms. Suggest that she contact his doctor.
You are caring for an elderly female experiencing respiratory distress that worsened throughout the night. Currently, you find her seated upright in bed with accessory muscle userespiratory rate of 32 and labored. She is diaphoretic, very warm to the touch, and has a temperature of 102 degrees F. You auscultate her chest and hear rales and rhonchi in most of her upper and middle left lung. What is the most appropriate treatment plan for her?
Support adequate ventilation and oxygenation
You are examining a 6-year-old female who is in respiratory distress and has a weak, seal-bark-like cough. She complains that her throat is very sore and she has trouble swallowing. Care should include which of the following?
Supportive care and humidified oxygen, as needed
You are called to the residence of a 16-year-old male complaining of a low-grade fever and a body-wide rash. After determining the safety of the scene, you opt to enter the residence, where you find the patient in the living room. You immediately recognize the rash as chickenpox. What are the treatment recommendations for chickenpox?
The patient should remain at home until the lesions are crusted and dry
The infectious disease control officer (IDCO) will maintain records of all infectious disease exposures as required by law. Who can these records be released to without the employee's written permission?
The records cannot be released without the employee's written consent.
What is the most effective method for preventing disease transmission?
Vigorous hand washing with soap and warm water
Which infectious microorganism must rely on a host cell to both grow and reproduce?
Virus
An agent that inhibits growth or multiplication of bacteria is known as _______.
bacteriostatic.
The time period between the onset of signs and symptoms of a disease and the resolution of symptoms or death of the organism is called the:
disease period.
The most common method of differentiating bacteria is:
gram staining.
The period of time between the contraction of a disease and the appearance of symptoms is known asthe:
incubation period.
You arrive on scene of a male complaining of malaise, headache, fever, chills, and sore throat. His wife reports that his symptoms began yesterday but got significantly worse today. The only events leading up to the illness was an incident in which the patient was chasing a raccoon out from under the deck on their house a few days ago; though no bite was specifically recalled, he was in close contact with the animal. If you did suspect rabies, your treatment would include:
initiate IV fluids; administer antiemetic.
You are treating a 22-year-old female complaining of a worsening headache and fever after being diagnosed with "strep throat" three days ago. She woke up early in the morning with an increased fever and an extremely stiff neck. She prefers you keep the lights off because they severely hurt her eyes. She may have contracted:
meningitis.
Which of these disease-producing agents are particles of protein, folded in such a way that proteases (enzymes that break down proteins) cannot act on them?
prions.
Animals, humans, insects, and the environment are all types of:
reservoirs.
A woman has brought her daughter to the emergency department. The girl is 4 years old and has had a worsening, "hacking" cough for several days. As you evaluate the child, her temperature is 104 degrees F, her eyelids appear swollen, her eyes are red with a crusty discharge, and she has reddish spots on her forehead, lips, and in her mouth. You quickly identify this patient as having:
rubeola.
The tenth most common cause of death and most common cause of patients in the intensive care unit is:
sepsis.
The whole-body inflammatory state which may result in septicemia is called:
systemic inflammatory response syndrome.
An organism's ability to overcome the body's defenses is known as:
virulence.
What is the "triad of signs" which indicates respiratory distress secondary to an infectious process in pediatric patients?
Fever, tachypnea, and retractions
You are called to the residence of a 42-year-old female, known to be HIV positive, complaining of fever, nausea, vomiting, and generalized weakness. On your arrival you determine that the scene is safe and enter the residence. What personal protective equipment have you put on prior to entering?
Gloves, mask, and eye protection
What level of disinfection is provided by the use of 1:10 to 1:100 dilution of water and chlorine bleach orEPA-registered disinfectants or germicides?
Intermediate-level disinfection
You have a patient lie down and flex her hips. Then you try to straighten the knee, but you are unable to fully extend it. What is this test called?
Kernig's sign
What is the order of progression of phases from the initial infection through resolution of the diseaseprocess?
Latent, communicable, then disease
The general protocol for treatment of patients with a field diagnosis of sepsis would include which of the following?
Oxygenation, ventilation, fluid resuscitation, and vasopressor administration
