EMT Health Conditions

General Adaptation Syndrome

Response to stress which calls for a reaction and when the situation has ended, recovery/exhaustion occurs.

Stages of Grief

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Signs of Definitive Death

Rigor mortis, putrefaction, dependent lividity, and decapitation.

Metabolic Acidosis

Characterized by deep, rapid breathing (Kussmaul Respirations) as a result of too much acid in the blood.

Pneumothorax

Characterized by unequal chest rise, chest pain, uneven breath sounds, and SOB as a result of air filling the pleural space collapsing a lung.

Tension Pneumothorax

Characterized by severe respiratory distress, hypotension, tracheal deviation, cyanosis, and absent breath sounds on one side as a result of too much air in the pleural space applying pressure on surrounding area.

Cardiac Tamponade

Characterized by low BP, muffled heart sounds, jugular vein distention, SOB, tachycardia, cyanosis, and a weak pulse as a result of fluid or blood filling the sac around the heart (pericardium) making the heart unable to perform it’s full contractions.

Pulmonary Embolism

Characterized by acute onset of SOB, chest pain, tachypnea, tachycardia, “impending sense of doom”, and lowered O2 sats as a result of an embolus blocking the pulmonary vessels.

Compensated Shock

Agitation, anxiety, pallor, cyanosis, SOB, delayed cap refill, weak pulse, and thirst.

Decompensated Shock

Drop in BP, loss of peripheral pulses, labored breathing, dull eyes, and pupil dilation.

Sepsis

Characterized by fever, tachycardia, tachypnea, altered mental status, low BP, cool/clammy skin, and organ dysfunction as a result of the body’s extreme response to a severe infection.

Congestive Heart Failure

Characterized by SOB, crackles, tachypnea, fatigue, and swelling as a result of the heart’s inability to pump enough blood which leads to fluid build-up in the lungs and body.

Acute Myocardial Infarction

Characterized by a heavy pressure on the chest, SOB, diaphoresis, and pain radiating to the left jaw/arm/neck due to a sudden blockage of blood to the heart causing ischemia and then infarction. A heart attack.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Characterized by chronic SOB, cough, wheezing, use of accessory muscles, cyanosis, and “barrel chest” as a result of long-term disease with blocked airflow and trapped air from emphysema or bronchitis.

Pulmonary Edema

Characterized by severe SOB, crackles/rales, tachypnea, cyanosis and pink frothy sputum due to fluid in the alveoli or the pulmonary walls.

Pleural Effusion

Characterized by SOB, decreased breath sounds on the affected side, shallow breathing, chest discomfort, and tachypnea due to fluid in the pleural spaces.

Asthma

Characterized by wheezing, tachypnea, SOB, chest tightness, and cough as a result of the narrowing of the airways and bronchospasm.

Croup

Characterized by a seal bark cough, typically found in children due to an upper airway infection.

Epiglotitis

Characterized by drooling and wheezing as a result of inflammation of the epiglottis.

RSV

Characterized by wheezing, tachypnea, cough, and sick symptoms due to an infection of the bronchioles leading to bronchiolitis.

Pneumonia

Characterized by crackles, fever, cough, SOB due to a lung infection in the chronically ill.

Tuberculosis

Characterized by recurrent coughing, fatigue, night sweats, and weight loss due to a bacterial infection of the lungs.

Angina

Characterized by severe chest pain, chest fullness, SOB, nausea, fatigue, diaphoresis, and dizziness as a result of hypoxia to the heart muscle from coronary artery blockage, which is usually a precursor to a heart attack.

Right Heart Failure

Characterized by edema in the tissues of the body since the right side of the heart can not take in more blood which causes it to back up in the body.

Left Heart Failure

Characterized by dyspnea since the left side of the heart can not pump blood to the body causing blood to force it’s way into the lungs.

Aortic Aneurysm

Characterized by hoarseness, SOB, and chest/back/abdominal pain due to aortic wall weakening and bulging.

Aortic Dissection

Characterized by a ripping sensation, severe back pain, dizziness, and difficulty walking/speaking due to the rupturing of the aortic wall from the aneurysm.

Cerebrovascular Accident

Characterized by sudden weakness, facial drooping, decreased sensation, vision problems, dysarthria, and trouble swallowing as a result of blood loss to the brain.

Ischemic Stroke

Stoppage of blood flow to the brain due to an embolus, thrombus, or atherosclerosis.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

Rupture of blood vessels that causes brain tissue infarction and blood puts pressure on the brain which can be a result of hypertension.

Status Epilepticus

Characterized by seizures that continue every few minutes without regaining consciousness or a seizure activity that lasts for more than 30 minutes.

Postictal State

Characterized by labored breathing, muscle relaxation, lethargy, hemiparesis, and confusion following a seizure in which this state can last up to 30 minutes.

Peristalsis

Contractions that move food/waste through the body.

Ileus

The opposite of peristalsis, where there is paralysis of the contractions resulting in retained gas and feces leading to distention.

Appendicitis

Characterized by rebounding tenderness as a result of appendix inflammation

Gastroenteritis

Characterized by diarrhea as a result of bacterial or viral organisms in the gastrointestinal tract.

Uremia

Characterized by blood in the urine as a result of kidney failure.

Type 1 Diabetes

Characterized by hypoglycemia, where no insulin is produced in the body, and as a result, glucose is not taken up/used.

Type 2 Diabetes

Characterized by hyperglycemia due to the body’s cells inability to use the insulin that is being produced.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)

Characterized by hyperglycemia, polyuria, dehydration, polydipsia, sweet breath, and Kussmaul breathing due to insulin absence, and the body begins to use fat (ketones) for energy, commonly associated with type 1 diabetes

Hypoglycemia

Characterized by sudden onset symptoms like diaphoresis, pale skin, shaking, hunger, sudden confusion, LOC, and seizures as a result of low blood sugar and is an extreme emergency.

Hyperglycemia

Characterized by polydipsia, polyuria, fruity breath, kussmaul breaths, and gradual worsening mental status due to high blood sugar.De

Dementia

Characterized by progressive memory, thinking, and reasoning decline as one ages.

Excited Delirium

Characterized by diaphoresis, shivering, aggression, clothes off, and high temperatures due to an altered mental status and underlying conditions.

Shock

Tachycardia, tachypnea, pale/cool/clammy skin, cyanosis, weak pulse, and anxiety.

Epistaxis

Nose bleed

Skull Fracture

Characterized by ecchymosis behind the ears and/or under the eyes as blood leaks out from around the brain as a result to trauma.

Flail Chest

Characterized by a broken set of ribs upon palpation that has separated from the walls.

Heat Stroke

Characterized by an internal body temperature of over 104F, altered mental status, unresponsiveness, seizures, and hot skin due to the body inability to metabolize the heat.

Frostbite

Characterized by swelling, numbing, blisters, and black coloration as a result of the freezing of tissue.

Hypothermia

Characterized by a body temperature of under 95F, dizziness, fatigue, altered mental status, shivering, glass stare, and slow breathing due to low body temperature.

Preeclampsia

Gestational Hypotension

Eclampsia

Characterized by seizures due to hypotension of pregnancy.

Ectopic Pregnancy

Characterized by severe bleeding and lower abdominal pain from a embryo developing outside of the uterus and rupturing a fallopian tube.

Abruptio Placenta

Characterized by sudden abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, uterine contractions, and back pain due to the placenta prematurely separating from the uterine wall.

Placenta Previa

Characterized by sudden painless vaginal bleeding in the second or third trimester as a result of the placenta developing over the cervix.

Supine Hypotensive Syndrome

Characterized by hypotension as a pregnant woman lays on her back, the weight of the fetus can constrict circulation.

Primigravida

Someone experiencing their first baby.

Meningitis

Characterized by stiff neck, fever, severe headache, altered mental status, and photophobia due to the inflammation of the meninges and the spinal cord from a bacterial or viral infection.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Characterized by lower abdominal pain exacerbated by walking due to an infection of the upper reproductive organs in females.

The Bends/Decompression Sickness

Characterized by muscle/joint pain, dizziness, fatigue, numbness, and coordination loss due to divers surfacing too quickly, causing nitrogen to bubble in the tissues.

Acute Mountain Sickness

Characterized by hangover symptoms due to the lack of oxygen in higher elevations.