Airway
How should you open the airway of a patient with snoring respirations who you suspect has overdosed?
Head-tilt-chin-lift (sniffing position)
How should you suction a patient's airway?
Only apply suction where you can visualize
Suction for 10 seconds or less
How often should we take vitals on a patient?
Not sick, every 15 min
SICK, every 5 min
How should you correct an error in your documentation?
Draw a single line through the incorrect information and initial nearby
Should you take spinal precautions on an unresponsive trauma patient? Why or why not?
Yes - the pt is not able to report any s/sx of a spinal cord injury so it should be assumed they have one
jaw thrust maneuver
What oxygen percentage is delivered by high flow oxygen attached to a pocket mask?
50%
What is the purpose of the Primary Assessment
To locate and treat life threats
What 3 criteria are needed to prove an EMT was negligent
The EMT had a duty to act
The EMT breached their duty
The EMT caused harm
Give an example of closed loop communication
Your partner asks you to place the patient on high flow oxygen, 15 Lpm NRB
You reply "Copy, placing patient on 15 Lpm via NRB"
What is the easiest and fastest way to determine if a patient has a patent airway?
List a part of the upper airway and lower airway, what structure separates the two?
Upper airway: tongue, mouth, epiglottis, pharynx
Lower airway: trachea, bronchi, alveoli, lungs
The vocal cords (larynx) separates the upper and lower airways
What is the difference between checking for a pulse and getting a heart rate? When should we check them?
Pulse check, 5-10 sec check for PRESENCE of a pulse, done in the PRIMARY
Heart rate, determining heart beats per minute, done during vitals in the SECONDARY
If you begin treating a patient and they start acting aggressively and threaten you with a knife, can you leave the scene? Is this considered negligence?
Yes you can leave anytime your safety is threatened
This is not negligence because you only have a duty to act when your safety is not at risk
What information should you include in a radio report? What should you never include?
Include: ATMIST
DO NOT include: PHI (name, birthday, identifying features)
When should an NPA be used? When should an OPA be used?
An OPA should be used on unresponsive patients who are being ventilated with a BVM
What is the difference between ventilation, respiration, and perfusion?
Ventilation is the physical movement of air in and out of the lungs
Respiration is the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the alveoli and pulmonary capillaries
Perfusion is the circulation of blood throughout the body, which allows gas exchange of oxygen and waste to occur
Describe the difference between MOI and NOI and give and example of each
Mechanism of Injury = what caused a traumatic injury, ex: GSW, MVC, MV vs pedestrian
Nature of Illness = chief complaint or main symptom, ex: chest pain, vomiting, fever, ankle pain
You are treating a patient at a crime scene, what information (not related to pt care) should you be prepared to give LEO when they arrive?
How the scene looked when you arrived
If you have moved or disturbed any part of the scene
What should you do if your medical director orders you to do something that you believe would directly harm your patient?
Politely question their reasoning and explain why you believe it would cause harm
How does managing a pediatric patient differ from managing an adult's airway?
A pediatric patient has a proportionally larger head to their body and lying supine may obstruct their airway. You may need to pad under the shoulders or tilt the chin down in order to keep it patent.
What is minute volume? Use this term to explain why hyperventilation is inadequate breathing
Minute Volume is Tidal Volume x Respiratory Rate or the amount of air moved by the lungs in one minute
Rapid respiratory rate causes decreased MV and does not allow for the lungs to fill enough to exchange oxygen
What do we call the initial set of vital and why are they important?
Baseline vitals
Establish trends over the period of care
Define proximate causation, when does this apply?
Def: whether a reasonable person could have foreseen that the action might cause the resulting injury
List 3 reasons why you may discontinue CPR
- you are unsafe
- you are too exhausted to continue
- someone of equal or higher level training takes over
- you regain a pulse
- a DNR (POLST) signed by the patient and their doctor is presented