Inside Information
This cardiac structure normally initiates the electrical impulse that causes atrial contraction and sets the heart’s pace.
What is the sinoatrial (SA) node?
A patient in an MVC has severe facial trauma, gurgling respirations, and decreased level of consciousness. The EMT should prioritize this action before completing a detailed trauma assessment.
What is opening and managing the airway while protecting the cervical spine?
A patient with a tension pneumothorax becomes hypotensive because increased pressure in the chest prevents this heart chamber from filling properly.
What is the right atrium?
During a radio report, the EMT states: “Medic 12 to base, 65-year-old male, chest pain for 30 minutes, pale and diaphoretic, BP 88/54, requesting ALS intercept.” This portion of the report demonstrates this communication principle.
What is providing relevant patient information in a concise order?
A patient with respiratory distress has a high-pitched sound during inspiration. This finding indicates obstruction occurring in this area.
What is the upper airway (above the trachea)?
This membrane surrounds the lungs and reduces friction during ventilation.
What is the pleura?
A patient involved in a high-speed MVC has paradoxical chest movement, respiratory distress, and increasing fatigue. The EMT should identify this injury.
What is flail chest?
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
A patient in hemorrhagic shock has adequate oxygen available in the lungs but poor oxygen delivery to tissues because this blood component is decreased.
What is hemoglobin?
An EMT gives a radio report so long that the receiving nurse starts aging in real time. The EMT forgot this important communication rule.
What is keeping the report concise and relevant?
A patient involved in an MVC is unconscious with snoring respirations, cyanosis, and a weak pulse. The EMT must identify the immediate cause of deterioration because airway compromise can quickly lead to this.
What is hypoxia leading to cardiac arrest?
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
A patient with diabetic ketoacidosis develops rapid deep breathing as compensation for metabolic acidosis. This respiratory pattern is called this.
What is Kussmaul respirations?
A 35-year-old patient involved in a high-speed MVC is unconscious with snoring respirations, weak radial pulses, and obvious femur deformity. The EMT must decide which problem takes priority because correcting it prevents the most immediate death.
What is airway obstruction with cervical spine protection?
A patient with a blockage in this artery may develop a life-threatening heart attack because it supplies blood to a large portion of the left ventricle.
What is the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery?
A crew gives a handoff report while the receiving nurse is distracted. The EMT repeats the critical information back to confirm understanding. This is called this.
What is closed-loop communication?
A patient is receiving high-flow oxygen but remains cyanotic and increasingly lethargic. The EMT recognizes that oxygen delivery will not correct the problem if the patient cannot perform this function.
What is ventilation (moving air in and out of the lungs)?
A patient with prolonged hypoxia develops cellular failure because this organelle responsible for producing ATP can no longer meet energy demands.
What is the mitochondria?
A patient involved in a rollover MVC is found unconscious. The EMT notes clear fluid draining from the nose and bruising behind the ear. These findings are most consistent with this injury.
What is a basilar skull fracture?
A patient’s blood pressure drops after a spinal injury because the vessels lose their normal ability to maintain resistance. The EMT recognizes that blood pressure is primarily determined by cardiac output and this factor.
What is systemic vascular resistance (SVR)?
An EMT calls in a trauma patient and says, “It was a bad wreck.” The trauma team wants this information instead because it predicts potential injuries.
What is the mechanism of injury (speed, vehicle damage, patient position, restraints, ejection, intrusion)?
A patient with altered mental status has vomit in their airway. The EMT should use suction, but understands suctioning is limited because prolonged suctioning can cause this dangerous effect.
What is hypoxia?
A patient with a brainstem stroke loses the ability to protect their airway because injury affects this cranial nerve responsible for swallowing and the gag reflex.
What is the vagus nerve (cranial nerve X)?
A patient involved in a high-speed MVC is found with a deformed steering wheel and severe chest pain. The EMT should recognize that this mechanism creates force that can cause injury to this major blood vessel.
What is traumatic aortic rupture/dissection?
A patient in shock has adequate blood flow but poor oxygen use at the cellular level. The EMT recognizes that this type of shock occurs when cells cannot properly utilize oxygen.
What is distributive shock caused by cellular oxygen utilization failure (such as septic shock)?
An EMT gives a radio report and says: “Nothing exciting happened.” The receiving team reminds the EMT that communication should focus on this.
What is clinically relevant information that affects patient care?
A patient has a pulse, but respirations are slow, shallow, and ineffective. The EMT applies oxygen but the patient continues to deteriorate. The EMT recognizes that oxygen alone will not fix the problem because the patient needs this intervention.
What are assisted ventilations?