EMS 101
The way a patient is injured is often referred to as the _______________?
A. Mechanism of injury
B. Mechanics of injury
C. Injury pattern
D. Energy transfer
A. Mechanism of Injury
The single largest cause of death for Americans is/are:
A. Coronary Artery Disease
B. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
C. Cancer
D. Traumatic Injuries
A. Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary Artery Disease is the number one threat to American health, killing an estimated 466,000 persons annually
You are an EMR, your patient is a diabetic and their home glucometer reads below 60 or 'LOW'. The do not have the ability to follow commands and they are in and out of consciousness. You have to decide how to proceed. What should you do?
A. Do nothing.
B. Position them in the recovery position and wait for EMS to arrive.
C. Lay them flat on their back and take vitals every 5 minutes.
D. Administer Dextrose 50% via IV for hypoglycemia.
B. Position them in the recovery position and wait for EMS to arrive.
(The first responder should never give any patient who cannot swallow or follow commands anything by mouth because aspiration is a real risk.)
You are treating a 12-year-old male patient who was hit in the nose with a baseball. His nose is deviated to the left with moderate epistaxis. He is complaining of severe pain to his nose. He is alert and oriented with no loss of consciousness. Which of the following treatment sequences would best manage this patient?
A. Pack nares with gauze to control bleeding.
B. Have patient lie supine and kick his feet up to prevent shock
C. Have patient sit upright and lean forward while holding pressure to nares.
D. Tilt the head back while holding pressure to nares.
C. Have patient sit upright and lean forward while holding pressure to nares.
What is the complaint often used to describe chest pain resulting from a cardiac event?
Squeezing, Heaviness, Someone sitting on my chest, Crushing, Pressure
(any variant of these works)
A large protruding collection of blood under the skin is known as?
A. Contusion
B. Abrasion
C. Hematoma
D. Bruise
C. Hematoma
A hematoma is a large collection of blood, caused by larger blood vessels being damaged. A hematoma often is located between layers of tissues. A contusion is generally a smaller collection of blood within tissue such as the dermis. A bruise is a generic term which is often used interchangeably between a contusion and a larger hematoma.
What is the most common spinal injury associated with improper lifting techniques?
A. Sacral injury
B. Lumbar injury
C. Thoracic injury
D. Cervical injury
B. Lumbar
The most common spinal injury is injury to the cervical spine. Improper lifting techniques, however, often result in lumbar injuries. Common lumbar injures are bulging and/or compressed vertebra. You must remember to lift with your legs and knees and not your back.
Your patient is a known diabetic who takes up to four insulin injections per day. Today he is found unresponsive, diaphoretic, and tachycardic. He is also breathing 10 times a minute. What is likely the patient’s chief medical issue?
A. Hypoglycemia
B. Hyperglycemia
C. CVA
D. Hypertensive crisis
A. Hypoglycemia
A known insulin dependent diabetic with the above symptoms is most likely suffering from hypoglycemia. The tachycardia and diaphoresis is from a catecholamine release trying to mobilize more glucose. This patient may very well have hypertension; it just is not the reason for the unresponsiveness.
You arrive on the scene of a patient who fell from a ladder. Which of the following information is NOT an important factor in care of the patient?
A. Height of the ladder
B. Distance the patient fell from
C. Surface the patient landed on
D. What part of the body hit first
A. Height of the ladder
A ladder can be 50' tall, but if the patient was on the second rung, he did not fall 50'.
An AED is used to treat patients in:
A. Ventricular Fibrillation
B. Asystole
C. Pulseless Electrical Activity
D. Acute Myocardial Infarction
A. Ventricular Fibrillation
What artery carries deoxygenated blood and which vein carries oxygenated blood?
A. Pulmonary, Aorta
B. Pulmonary, Inferior Vena Cava
C. Pulmonary, Pulmonary
D. Aorta, Superior Vena Cava
C. Pulmonary, Pulmonary
You are dispatched to a 21-year old male patient who has an elevated pulse (120-140). When asked what he was doing, he replies, "I was just running". From the given information, what do you suspect?
A. The patient needs the AED
B. Nothing, this is normal at this point
C. The patient needs to be transported
D. The patient needs a nitro tablet
B. Nothing, this is normal at this point
Due to the fact the patient had been running the elevated pulse is perfectly within normal limits. If the pulse rate does not go down over a period of time, that may need further evaluation.
Your patient is not responding to your loud verbal stimuli. You find the following medications: Glucophage and Lipitor. What is the likely cause of the patient’s problem?
A. High Cholesterol
B. High Blood Pressure
C. Diabetic Related Symptoms
D. Coronary Artery Disease
A. Diabetic Related Symptoms
Glucophage is a diabetic medication. You may not be able to identify what type of reaction your patient is having without more diagnostic testing but it puts you looking in the correct direction. The Lipitor may come into play later-on in long term care but high cholesterol generally has no effect on mental status the way hypo or hyperglycemia will.
Your 26-year-old female patient has been pulled out of a house fire. Her chest and arms have been burned. The area is charred and the patient states she has little pain in the burned area. What is the most likely classification of this patient's burns?
A. Full thickness
B. Superficial partial thickness
C. Superficial
D. Deep partial thickness
A. Full thickness
The patient is most likely experiencing a full thickness burn with disruption of the soft tissue through the nerve root. They are typically painless, with the exception of the penumbra, because of the lack of nerve stimulation.
You are dispatched to a 75-year old female patient who is complaining of extreme chest pain and trouble breathing. This patient is a chain-smoker and is overweight. Which of the following is least likely to be present?
A. Coronary Artery Disease
B. Pulmonary Edema
C.COPD
D. Ventricular Fibrillation
D. Ventricular Fibrillation
Your 16 year old trauma patient has what appears to be a mid-shaft femur fracture. You notice that there is a laceration directly over the suspected fracture. Bleeding is controlled. What type of fracture would this be?
A. Greenstick
B. Comminuted
C. Closed
D. Open
D. Open
Any time there is open skin over a fracture it is considered an open fracture. A greenstick is generally found in children whose bones have not fully ossified. Comminuted is a fracture resulting from extreme forces causing many smaller fractures at the site of the fracture
When there is penetrating trauma there is a permanent cavity which is formed by the projectile contacting the tissues. How is a temporary cavity formed?
A. By the twisting of the projectile
B. By energy scrubbing off of the projectile
C. The wadding entering the body
D. Unspent gun powder
B. By energy scrubbing off the progectile
When a projectile is traveling through space it is giving off energy as it pushes away the air molecules. When it impacts with human tissue, kinetic energy is transferred from the projectile to the tissue. When this projectile is a high velocity missile, the tissue which absorbs this energy transfer is often damaged but not disrupted enough to be permanently damaged.
Which of the following is an often fatal complication of diabetes and is also the first indication of diabetes in many young patients?
A. Hypoglycemia
B. Hypertension
C. Cardiovascular disease
D. Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
D. Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
Often the first signs and symptoms of diabetes onset is diabetic Ketoacidosis. When there is no fuel (i.e., glucose) for the cells to burn, the cells will burn fat and protein which does not burn clean. The incomplete combustion produces acids which are not cleared. These acids will build up and can be fatal if not treated aggressively.
Following the immobilization of an extremity fracture to the lower right arm, the EMR should perform what step last?
A. Ensuring the splint is applied tightly.
B. Assessing presence of distal motor, sensory, and perfusion
C. Placing the hand in the position of function
D. Placing the immobilized extremity below the level of the heart
B. Assessing presence of distal motor, sensory, and perfusion
The last part of immobilizing the arm fracture (or any suspected fracture for that matter), is the assessment of distal motor, sensory, and perfusion status. This is done to assure there was no additional trauma from the immobilization process, and to assure the splint was not put on incorrectly (for example an air splint inflated too high). If there is a loss in the motor, sensory, perfusion findings following immobilization, the paramedic should immediately reassess the splinting process and correct any errors.
You are dispatched to a 75-year old female patient who is currently in cardiac arrest. After one shock via the AED she begins breathing at 15 breaths per minute, and has a strong carotid pulse; what is your next step?
A. Assist ventilations with a bag-valve mask
B. Provide supplemental oxygen by NRB
C. Continue to administer shocks via AED
D. Request a non-transport and leave the scene
B. Provide supplemental oxygen by NRB
The next step after shocking with the AED, and the patient is breathing and has a pulse, is to apply high concentration oxygen via NRB. If the respiratory rate is above or below the minimum and maximum limits; however, you would assist with a bag valve mask.
Name the layers of the heart from the outside in.
A. Pericardium, endocardium, epicardium
B. Myocardium, epicardium, endocardium
C. Epicardium, myocardium, endocardium
D. Endocardium, myocardium, epicardium
C. Epicardium, myocardium, endocardium
What is the purpose of the Endocrine System?
Provide long term body communication and control through the release of hormones.
Name 4 Primary Endocrine organs
Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Pineal, Thyroid, Parathyroid, Thymus, Adrenal, Pancreas, Ovaries, Testis, and Placenta (in pregnant females).
ALS Providers - You have responded for a 43-year-old male who was involved in an altercation. The patient was reportedly beaten in the face and head with a baseball bat. The patient is unresponsive. Evaluation of the patient's face reveals instability from the orbits to the mandible. Based on this information, how would you definitively manage this patient's airway?
A. Immediately assist ventilations with a Bag-Valve-Mask.
B. Orally intubate the patient and assist ventilations with a Bag-Valve-Mask.
C. Insert an oral airway and assist ventilations with a Bag-Valve-Mask.
D. Insert a nasal airway and assist ventilations with a Bag-Valve-Mask.
B. Orally intubate the patient and assist ventilations with a Bag-Valve-Mask.
This patient has an unstable face and an unstable airway. Ultimately, this patient needs to have his airway protected as quickly as possible with an endotracheal tube. With facial instability, it is imperative that an adjunct be placed to ensure that the airway is not occluded by the pressure on the jaw created with the application of the Bag-Valve-Mask.
Which are not blood components that are responsible for clot formation?
A. Platelets
B. Fibrin
C. Plaque
D. Thrombin
C. Plaque