Medications
How much glucose would you give a hypoglycemic patient?
- 1 whole tube of oral glucose as long as they can swallow and are conscious.
You find a patient leaning forward in a tripod position, panting heavily, and unable to speak. What is your general impression of their stability?
- Your patient is most likely unstable
- Probably experiencing resp. distress or impending respiratory failure.
What is the function of the Heart?
- To pump oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.
- remove waste (Carbon Dioxide) from the blood
- Circulates Nutrients and immune cells to where they are needed.
What is the single most effective technique an EMT can use to prevent the transmission of pathogens between patients?
What is the name of the outermost, superficial layer of the skin that contains no blood vessles?
Epidermis
What are the indications of Aspirin?
- Suspected Heart Attack
- Chest pain/Angina
- Non-traumatic origin
- Patient must be awake/alert
- Able to chew/swallow
What specific question do you ask a chest pain patient to evaluate the Radiation part of OPQRST?
"Does the pain move, or travel anywhere else in your body?"
What's the function of the liver?
- Processes nutrients
- Produces proteins needed for blood clotting
- Creates bile to break down fats.
You are called to a nursing facility for an elderly patient with a suspected active Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. What specific PPE must you don to protect yourself from airborne transmission?
HEPA mask or N-95 respirator
Which leaf-shaped cartilaginous structure prevents food and liquid from entering the trachea during swallowing?
Epiglottis
What is the dosage for Epinephrine for both adults & pediatrics?
Adult: 0.3 mg
Pediatrics: 0.15 mg
An unresponsive patient is breathing slowly and shallowly at 6 breaths per minute. What immediate intervention must you perform?
- Open the airway
-Initiate Positive-Pressure ventilation using a BVM that's attached to high-flow oxygen.
-Monitor and maintain the airway.
Name all the layers of the skin:
- Epidermis (outer layer)
- Dermis
- Subcutaneous Layer
- Hypodermis (Deepest layer)
Which pathogen is primarily blood-borne, highley contagious, and presents the highest risk of occupational transmission to an EMT with regards to trauma?
Hepatitis B
Oxygenated blood traveling from the lungs back to the heart enters which specific cardiac chamber?
Left Atrium
What are ALL the contraindications for Nitroglycerin?
- If the patient is hypotensive.
- If it's expired
- If the patient is allergic to it.
- If it isn't prescribed to the patient
- If the patient took any recent Erectile Dysfunction Medications within the last 48 hours.
- Suspected Intractranial pressure/ head injury
- Bradycardic/Tachycardic patient.
- If patient already taken the max dosage.
A patient with a history of both COPD and heart failure presents with severe dyspnea. What lung sounds would point to pulmonary edema rather than a COPD flare-up?
- The presence of bilateral crackles/rales that dont go away with coughing = pulmonary edema
23yr old Female presents with severe abdominal pain.
What questions should you ask to come to a differential Diagnosis?
- "When was the first day of your last menstrual period?"
- "Are you experiencing any abnormal vaginal bleeding, spotting, or unusual?"
- "Are you sexually active? If so, what form of contraception do you use?"
- "Have you noticed any blood in your stool/vomit?"
A 28-year old male presents with a high fever, stiff neck, lethargic, and a distinct purplish rash. Which illness do these signs/symptoms indicate that the patient may have?
Meningitis
What is the physiological difference between a ligament and a tendon regarding the structures they connect?
Ligaments connect bone to bone
Tendons connect muscle to bone.
A 68-year-old female with severe COPD and heart failure presents with acute respiratory distress, bilateral wheezing, a heart rate of 128 bpm, and frequent PVCs.
Why is administering her prescribed Albuterol nebulizer highly risky for this specific patient?
- Beta-1 Crossover: High doses stimulate cardiac receptors, accelerating her baseline tachycardia of 128 bpm.
- Myocardial Ischemia: The spiked heart rate drastically increases oxygen demand while cutting off coronary artery perfusion time.
Ten minutes after giving Epinephrine for anaphylaxis, your patient's stridor and hives return. What does this indicate, and what must you do immediately?
- It indicates that the first dose has worn off.
- Administer a second dose of Epinephrine, Call for advanced airway support, and call ALS.
Why does a patient with an early acute bowel obstruction experience intense, cramping abdominal pain that comes and goes in waves, rather than a constant, steady ache?
- The smooth muscle of the intestinal wall contracts in rhythmic, wave-like cycles (peristalsis) to force contents past the physical blockage.
- During a contraction wave, the bowel wall stretches violently, activating visceral C-fiber pain receptors to cause intense cramping.
You arrive at an adult group home for a patient with a productive cough, coughing up blood, and night sweats. You place a surgical mask on the petient to prevent airborne spread. During transport, the patient's condition rapidly deteriorates. Their respiratory rate drops to 6 bpm and their SpO2 is 82%. What is your primary next step?
Begin Airway managment with BVM.
If a patient sustains a deep puncture wound to the right midaxilary line at the level of the fifth intercostal space, which specific thoracic organ is at the highest risk for direct injury?
The right lung
- This injury can lead to a pneumothorax or hemothorax