Scene Size-Up
The area around the wreckage of a vehicle collision or other incident within which special safety precautions should be taken
The actions taken to correct or manage a patient's problems
Interventions (pg 315)
These patients will be resuscitated by beginning CPR compressions and preparing your defibrillator as soon as possible if they are found to be pulseless
Patients who appear lifeless (pg 319)
A memory aid for classifying a patient's level of responsiveness or mental status (the tool used to find the L in GLC)
AVPU- Alert, Verbal response, Painful response, Unresponsive (pg 321)
This medical term means 'listening'. (A stethoscope can be used)
Auscultation (pg366)
Fuel spilled and vehicle is on fire (pg 294)
This helps you to determine how serious the patient's condition is and sets priorities for care and transport. Its based off immediate assessment of environment and patient's cheif complaint & appearance.
General Impression (pg 318)
This can indicate many underlying conditions, from hypoxia to shock to diabetes to overdoes to seizure. During the primary assessment your concern isn't the cause of this but it's impact on your patient, assessment, and care.
Patients who have an obvious altered mental status. (pg 319)
You will always check these 3 possible life threats during a primary assessment
The A-B-Cs - Airway, Breathing, Circulation (pg 322)
Normal pulse rates (beats per minute at rest) for school aged patients of 6-10 year's old
65-120 (awake; slightly lower when asleep) (pg. 341)
Fighting or loud voices, weapons visible or in use, unusual silence are all possible signals of this significant danger to an EMT
The decision regarding the need for immediate transport of the patient versus further assessment and care at the scene.
Priority (pg 327)
Identifying shock early will help you perform appropriate assessments later. This principle lists the patient's appearance as
Patients who appear unusually anxious and those who appear pale and sweaty. (pg 319)
A question requiring more than just a "yes" or "no" answer.
Open-ended questions (pg 371)
24-40 (pg 346)
You are especially at risk of being infected by a patient's body substances if you forget this during initial size-up
Standard Precautions/Body Substance Isolation (BSI)/ PPE (pg 299)
Poor general impression, Unresponsive, Responsive, but not following commands, difficulty breathing, shock, complicated childbirth, chest pain consistent with cardiac problems, uncontrolled bleeding, severe pain anywhere are all this
High-Priority Conditions (pg 328)
Experienced EMTs identify serious trauma to these areas as injuries that can cause airway problems, profound shock, or death.
Obvious trauma to the head, chest, abdomen, or pelvis. (pg 320)
OPQRST stands for this
Onset, Provocation, Quality, Radiation/region, Severity, Time (pg 372)
Normal Pulse Reates (BPM at rest) for a Newborn
100-170 (awake; slightly lower when asleep) (pg 341)
index of suspicion (310)
If this age range of patients are not alert you should shout as a verbal stimulus, flick feet as a painful stimulus and expect the patient to cry
Infants to 1 year (pg 334)
Tripod position, Levine's sign (fist clenched over chest) are specific positions that show an EMT this
Specific positions indicate distress (which indicate a high priority) (pg. 320)
The 4 elements of the gastrointestinal system physical examination:
1. Observe the patient's position
2. Assess the abdomen
3. Inspect other parts of the GI system as appropriate.
4. Inspect available vomitus or feces (note volume, color)
This measures the amount of carbon dioxide exhaled, called end-tidal carbon dioxide, or ETCO2.
Capnography (pg 364-5)