EMT- Chapter 22 - Toxicology

A hypnotic drug is one that:

A. Prevents amnesia

B. Induces sleep

C. Increases the senses

D. Increases the pulse

Induces sleep

A patient who presents with rapid breathing, nausea and vomiting, ringing in the years, and hyperthermia should be suspected of ingesting a significant quantity of:

A. Ibuprofen

B. Cocaine

C. Aspirin

D. Acetaminophen

Aspirin

A person who routinely misuses a substance and requires increasing amounts to achieve the same effect is experiencing:

A. Dependence

B. Addiction

C. Withdrawal

D. Tolerance

Tolerance

Activated charcoal may be indicated for a patient who ingested:

A. Methanol

B. Aspirin

C. Iron

D. Ethanol

Aspirin

After administering activated charcoal to a patient, it is MOST important to:

A. Call medical control

B. Document the intervention

C. Monitor the patient's blood pressure

D. Be alert for vomiting

Be alert for vomiting

Airborne substances should be diluted with:

A. Oxygen

B. Syrup of ipecac

C. An alkaline antidote

D. Activated charcoal

Oxygen

An EMT's primary responsibility to the patient who has been poisoned is to:

A. Administer the appropriate antidote

B. Contact poison control immediately

C. Administer 25 g of activated charcoal

D. Recognize that a poisoning occurred

Recognize that a poisoning occurred

Common names for activated charcoal include all of the following, EXCEPT:

A. Actidote

B. LiquiChar

C. InstaChar

D. Fructose

Fructose

Heroin is an example of a(n):

A. Sympathomimetic

B. Cholinergic

C. Opioid

D. Hypnotic

Opioid

Hypotension, hypoventilation, and pinpoint pupils would be expected following an overdose of:

A. Oxycodone (Percocet)

B. Amphetamine Sulfate (Benzedrine)

C. Crack Cocaine

D. Ecstasy

Oxycodone (Percocet)

If you are uncertain how to treat a patient who has been poisoned or exposed to a specific substance, you should:

A. Keep the patient supine and elevate his legs

B. Encourage the patient to drink milk or water

C. Administer naloxone via the intranasal route

D. Try to find the container the substance was in

Try to find the container the substance was in

Most poisonings occur via the _____________ route

A. Inhalation

B. Absorption

C. Injection

D. Ingestion

Ingestion

Signs and symptoms of a sympathomimetic drug overdose include:

A. Hypotension

B. Hypothermia

C. Slurred speech

D. Tachycardia

Tachycardia

Substance abuse is MOST accurately defined as:

A. Misusing a substance to produce a desired effect

B. Unwillingly and unknowingly consuming drugs or alcohol

C. Willfully using a therapeutic drug to treat a medical illness

D. Knowingly selling illicit drugs to buy more drugs

Misusing a substance to produce a desired effect

The major side effect associated with administration of activated charcoal is:

A. Headache

B. Ringing in the ears

C. Abdominal pain

D. Black stools

Black stools

The poison control center will provide you with the most information regarding the appropriate treatment for a patient with a drug overdose if the center:

A. Knows the location of the closest hospital

B. Knows why the patient overdosed on the drug

C. Is aware of the substance that is involved

D. Is aware of the patient's age and gender

Is aware of the substance that is involved

What type of poisoning will cause burns around the mouth in children:

A. Alkaline poison

B. Plant poisoning

C. Inhaled poison

D. Injected poison

Alkaline poison

Which of the following questions would be the LEAST pertinent during the initial questioning of a patient who ingested a substance?

A. How much of the substance was taken?

B. What type of substance was taken?

C. Why was the substance ingested?

D. How long ago was the substance taken?

Why was the substance ingested?

Which of the following statements regarding the Salmonella bacterium is correct?

A. The Salmonella bacterium itself causes food poisoning

B. Refrigeration of food will prevent salmonellosis

C. The Salmonella bacterium produces toxins that cause food poisoning

D. Symptoms of salmonellosis appear within 12 hours

The Salmonella bacterium itself causes food poisoning

Your priority in caring for a patient with a surface contact poisoning is to:

A. Decontaminate the patient's skin

B. Move the patient to a safe area

C. Avoid contaminating yourself

D. Obtaining and maintaining a patent airway

Avoid contaminating yourself

Your paramedic partner administers atropine to a 49-year-old male with bradycardia. Which of the following side effects would you expect the patient to experience?

A. A fall in blood pressure

B. Pupillary constriction

C. Dry mucous membranes

D. Excessive lacrimation

Dry mucous membranes

You receive a call to a residence where a man found his wife unresponsive on the couch. The patient's respiratory rate is 8 breaths per minute, her breathing is shallow, her heart rate is 40 beats per minute, and her pulse is weak. The husband hands you an empty bottle of hydrocodone (Vicodin), which was refilled the day before. You should:

A. Perform a rapid head to toe exam

B. Ventilate her with a bag-mask device

C. Apply oxygen via a nonrebreathing mask

D. Contact the poison center

Ventilate her with a bag-mask device

During your assessment of a 50-year-old male who was found unresponsive in an alley, you note that he has slow, shallow respirations; bradycardia; facial cyanosis; and pinpoint pupils. As your partner begins to assist the patient's ventilations, he directs your attention to the patient's arms, which have multiple needle tracks on them. Which of the following would MOST likely explain the patient's presentation?

A. Heroin overdose

B. Delirium tremens

C. Alcohol intoxication

D. Closed head injury

Heroin overdose

A 25-year-old man overdosed on heroin and is unresponsive. His breathing is slow and shallow and he is bradycardic. He has track marks on both arms. The EMT should:

A. Insert a nasal airway and ventilate with a bag-mask device

B. Position the patient on his side and transport without delay

C. Administer naloxone via intranasal route

D. Administer naloxone via the intramuscular route

Insert a nasal airway and ventilate with a bag-mask device

A 49-year-old male presents with confusion, sweating, and visual hallucinations. The patient's wife tells you that he is a heavy drinker and she thinks he had a seizure shortly before your arrival. This patient is MOST likely experiencing:

A. Acute hypovolemia

B. Delirium tremens

C. Acute schizophrenia

D. Alcohol intoxication

Delirium tremens

You respond to a college campus for a young male who is acting strangely. After law enforcement has secured the scene, you enter the patient's dorm room and find him sitting on the edge of the bed; he appears agitated. As you approach him, you notice that he has dried blood around both nostrils. He is breathing adequately, his pulse is rapid and irregular, and his blood pressure is 200/110 mm Hg. Treatment for this patient includes:

A. Asking law enforcement to place handcuffs on the patient

B. Assisting his ventilations with a bag mask device

C. Attempting to calm him and giving him oxygen as tolerated

D. Requesting a paramedic to administer naloxone (Narcan)

Attempting to calm him and giving him oxygen as tolerated

Before giving activated charcoal, you should:

A. Mix it with an equal amount of water

B. Have the patient drink a glass of milk

C. Obtain approval from medical control

D. Mix the suspension by stirring the bottle

Obtain approval from medical control

In an apparent suicide attempt, a 19-year-old female ingested a full bottle of amitriptyline (Elavil). At present, she is conscious and alert and states that she swallowed the pills approximately 30 minutes earlier. Her blood pressure is 90/50 mm Hg, her pulse is 140 beats/min and irregular, and her respirations are 22 breaths/min with adequate depth. When transporting this patient, you should be MOST alert for:

A. An increase in her blood pressure

B. A sudden outburst of violence

C. Seizures and cardiac dysrhythmias

D. Acute respiratory depression

Seizures and cardiac dysrhythmias

EMTs are dispatched for a teenage male who is "not acting right." When they arrive, they are informed that the patient was huffing. Several cans of Freon are found near the patient. Which of the following is a unique consideration for this patient?

A. Encouraging walking will help eliminate Freon from the body

B. The pulse oximeter will yield a falsely elevated reading

C. Oxygen will not increase the patient's oxygen saturation

D. A sudden adrenaline release can cause a fatal dysrhythmia

A sudden adrenaline release can cause a fatal dysrhythmia

You and your paramedic partner are caring for a patient who ingested codeine, acetaminophen (Tylenol), and hydrocodone (Vicodin). The patient is unresponsive, his breathing is slow and shallow, and his pulse is slow and weak. Treatment for this patient should include:

A. Oxygen via nasal cannula and atropine sulfate

B. Assisted ventilation and flumazenil (Romazicon)

C. Assisted ventilation and naloxone (Narcan)

D. High-flow oxygen via nonrebreathing mask

Assisted ventilation and naloxone (Narcan)

In an apparent suicide attempt, a 19 year old female interested in full bottle of amitriptyline (Elavil). At present, she is conscious and alert and states that she swallowed the pills approximately 30 minutes earlier. Her blood pressure is 90/50 mm hg, her pulse is 140 beats/min Andy regular oh, and her respirations are 22 breaths/min with adequate depth. When transporting this patient, you should be most alert for:

A. A sudden Outburst of violence.

B. An increase in her blood pressure.

C. Seizures or cardiac dysrhythmias.

D. Acute respiratory depression

Seizures are cardiac dysrhythmias

Your unit is dispatched to the county jail for an intoxicated inmate. Upon arrival, you find a patient, a 33-year old male, lying supine in a jail cell. He is responsive to painful stimuli only and has slow, shallow respirations. You should be most concerned that this patient:

A. Might become violent.

B. Might experience is seizure.

C. Is severely hypoglycemic.

D. Might vomit and aspirate

might vomit and aspirate

A four year old, 15kg male ingested an unknown quantity of acetaminophen (tylenol). The child's mother states that she does not know when the ingestion occurred. The child is conscious and alert and in no apparent distress. The EMT should:

A. Give the child milk to observe the Tylenol.

D. Contact medical control for guidance.

C. Administer 15 g of activated charcoal. D. Administer high-flow supplemental oxygen

Administer 15 g of activated charcoal

You respond to a local motel for a young female who was sexually assaulted. The patient is conscious but confused. She tells you that the last thing she remembered was drinking beer at a club with her friends the night before. When she awoke, she was in the bed of the motel room. You should suspect that this patient:

A.Was given flunitrazepam (rohypnol)

B. Is a frequent and heavy heroin user.

C. Has a hangover from the night before.

D. Is addicted to a benzodiazepine drug

Was given flunitrazepam (rohypnol)

You are dispatched to a local nursery for a 39 year old female who is sick. When you arrive, you find a patient lying on the floor. She is semi-conscious, has copious amounts of saliva coming from her mouth, and is incontinent of urine. You quickly feel her pulse and note that it is very slow. Immediate management for his patient should include:

A. Requesting a paramedic to give her atropine.

B. Thoroughly suctioning her oropharynx.

C. Performing a rapid secondary assessment.

D. Assisted ventilation with a bag mask device

Thoroughly sectioning her oropharynx

Which of the following sets of vital signs with the EMT most likely encounter in a patient with acute cocaine overdose?

A. BP, 190/90 mmhg; pulse, 40 beats/min

B. BP, 60/40 mmhg; pulse, 140 beats/min

C. BP, 180/100 mmhg; pulse, 50 beats/min

D. BP, 200/100 mmhg; pulse, 150 beats/min

BP, 200/100 mmhg; pulse, 150 beats/min

A three year old female ingested several leaves from a plant in the living room. The child's mother is not sure what type of plant it is, stating that she bought it simply because it was pretty. After completing your primary assessment of the child, you should:

A. Contact the regional Poison Control Center.

B. Induce vomiting with syrup of ipecac.

C. Immediately transferred to travel to the hospital.

D. Administer 25 grams of activated charcoal.

Contact the regional Poison Control Center

Activated charcoal is given to patients who have ingested certain substances because it:

A induces vomiting and empty stomach. B is a direct antidote for many toxic substances.

C. Binds to the substance and prevent absorption.

D. Decreases absorption of poisons into the lungs

Binds to the substance and prevents absorption