Vocabulary
A ______ is the access point used for hemodialysis.
Fistula
A pt is having trouble breathing after being stung by a bee. He is lethargic and you hear stridorous respirations. You assist with their EpiPen. He is showing signs of what?
Anaphylaxis
Severe Allergic Reaction
A pt whose family states he is not acting right, has right arm weakness and slurred speech
stroke
What is the main source of energy for the body's cells.
Glucose
Your patient has had a seizure in which his entire body stiffened. This stiffening is called:
Tonic muscle activity
The function of _____ allows glucose to enter the cells so the glucose can be used effectively.
Insulin
Your patient has an altered mental status. You find your patient sitting in his office. His heart rate and blood pressure are elevated. He tells you that he has not urinated that day.
Renal Failure
Your patient is a 17-year-old female who is unconscious. Friends report that she seemed confused and was speaking incoherently, became combative when they tried to intervene, and then fainted. You recognize these as signs of
An altered mental state
Common causes of stroke include
obstruction of a blood vessel or a ruptured blood vessel.
hypoglycemia
Abnormal decrease of sugar in the blood
___________ is one of the most common complaints to which an EMR is called for, is a decrease in the patient's alertness and responsiveness to his surroundings.
Altered Mental Status
An 89-year-old patient with an altered mental status. Staff at the facility state that the patient is being treated for a urinary tract infection, finished her antibiotics yesterday, and began acting differently this morning. The patient's skin is hot to the touch. She has a rapid heart rate and a low blood pressure. You suspect this patient is experiencing:
Sepsis
What scale is used to when the patient can tell you their name, where they are, and what time it is.
AVPU
Irregular electrical activity in the brain causes a sudden change in mental status and behavior.
Seizures
taking an excessive amount of a drug that may lead to coma or death
overdose
Before you and your crew can evaluate a patient's altered mental status, you first need to determine ________. Family, friends, and caregivers can help describe this
baseline mental status
A 3-year-old boy presents with an altered mental status. His parents state that he wandered into the garage unattended. Excessive saliva formation is an indication of what kind of poisoning?
Ingested
The AVPU scale measures mental status in four categories by assessing whether a patient is alert, verbal, painful, and:
Unresponsive
one of the most common patient complaints
Medical Emergencies — Altered Mental Status
Situations in which patients exhibit abnormal behavior that is unacceptable or cannot be tolerated by the patients themselves or by family, friends or the community.
Behavioral Emergencies
uncontrolled muscular contractions are known as___
convulsions
A 38 yr old man appears to be drunk—he is staggering around and talking incoherently. Just as you arrive, he loses consciousness. As you begin your primary assessment, you notice that his breath smells like nail polish remover.
Diabetic emergency
True/False
Hyperglycemia is a gradual onset that can present with: Dry mouth/intense thirst, abdominal pain/vomiting, fruity/nail polish remover breath, warm/dry/red skin, AMS, weak, rapid pulse,
TRUE
a type of seizure characterized by a loss of consciousness and full-body muscle contractions
generalized seizure