West Coast EMT Block 3 Quiz

Signs and symptoms of a sympathomimetic drug overdose include:

a. slurred speech

b. tachycardia

c. hypothermia

d. hypotension

ANSWER-b. tachycardia

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

a. obtain and maintain a patent airway

b. Avoid contamination yourself

c. decontaminate the patient's skin

d. move the patient to a safe area

ANSWER-b. avoid contaminating yourself

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. Position the patient on his side and transport

b. administer naloxene via the intramuscular route

c. insert a nasal airway and ventilate with a BVM

d. administer naloxene via the intranasal route

ANSWER-c. insert a nasal airway and ventilate with a BVM

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. excessive lacrimation

b. dry mucous membranes

c. a fall in blood pressure

d. pupillary constriction

ANSWER-b. dry mucous membranes

Because hearing-impaired patients typically have more difficulty hearing high-frequency sounds, it is important for you to:

a. speak in a monotone voice

b. lower the pitch of your voice

c. try basic sign language first

d. increase the pitch of your voice

ANSWER-b. lower the pitch of your voice

Substance abuse is the MOST accurately defined as:

a. unwillingly and unknowingly consuming drugs or alcohol

b. willfully using a therapeutic drug to treat a medical illness

c. knowingly selling illicit drugs in order to buy more drugs

d. knowingly misusing a substance to produce a desired effect

ANSWER-d. knowingly misusing a substance to produce a desired effect

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 note 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. attempting to calm him and giving him oxygen if tolerated

b. requesting a paramedic to administer naloxone (Narcan)

c. assisting his ventilation with a bag-valve mask device

d. asking law enforcement to place handcuffs on the patient

ANSWER-a. attempting to calm him and giving him oxygen if tolerated

Individuals with chronic alcoholism are predisposed to intracranial bleeding and hypoglycemia secondary to abnormalities in the:

a. liver

b. pancreas

c. kidneys

d. brain

Answer A- Liver

You are dispatched to a local nurse for a 39-year-old female who is sick. When you arrive, you find the patient laying on the floor. She is semiconscious, 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 this 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 BVM

ANSWER-b. thoroughly suctioning her oropharynx

Injury to a hollow abdominal organ would MOST likely result in:

a. leakage of contents into the abdominal cavity

b. impairment in the blood's clotting abilities

c. pain secondary to blood in the peritoneum

d. profound shock due to serve internal bleeding

ANSWER-a. leakage of contents into the abdominal cavity

Which of the following statements regarding epinephrine administration via the intramuscular (IM) route is correct?

a. The preferred injection site is the upper arm

b. The IM route should not be used in children

c. the maximum single adult dose is 0.15mg

d. The 1:1000 concentration should be used

ANSWER-d. the 1:1000 concentration should be used

Functions of the liver include:

a. production of hormones that regulate blood sugar levels

b. secretion of bile, filtration of toxic substances

c. absorption of nutrients and toxins

d. release of amylase, which breaks down starches into sugar

ANSWER-b. secretion of bile filtration of toxic substances

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

a. knows why the patient overdosed on the drug

b. is aware of the substance that is involved

c. is aware of the patient's age and gender

d. knows the location of the closest hospital

ANSWER-b. is aware of the substance that is involved

After the fetus has descended into the pelvis at the end of the third trimester, many mothers experience:

a. a bloated feeling

b. mid-back pain

c. easier breathing

d. an urge to push

ANSWER-c. easier breathing

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

a. monitor the patient's BP

b. be alert for vomiting

c. document the intervention

d. call medical control

- ANSWER-b. be alert for vomiting

__ is what you can see of a person's response to the environment.

a. affect

b. behavior

c. neurosis

d. psychosis

ANSWER-b. behavior

Which of the following statements regarding rape is correct?

a. rape causes more physical harm than emotional harm

b. rape is a legal diagnosis, not a medical diagnosis

c. The EMT should try to determine if rape occured

d. only the licensed physician can make a diagnosis of rape

ANSWER-b. rape is a legal diagnosis, not a medical diagnosis

You arrive at the residence of a 33-year-old woman who is experiencing a generalized (tonic-clonic) seizure. She has a small amount of vomitus draining from the side of her mouth. After protecting her from further injury, you should:

a. place a bite block between her teeth, apply high-flow oxygen via a nonrebreathing mask, and consider inserting a nasopharyngeal airway

b. wait for the seizure to stop, manually open her airway, insert an oropharyngeal airway, and assess her oxygen saturation with the pulse oximeter

c. maintain her airway with manual head positioning, suction her airway to remove the vomitus, insert a nasopharyngeal airway, and administer high-flow oxygen

d. restrain her extremities to prevent her from injuring herself, suction her airway to remove the vomitus, and assist her ventilation with a bag-valve mask

ANSWER-c. maintain her airway with manual head positioning, suction her airway to remove the vomitus, insert nasopharyngeal airway, and administer high-flow oxygen

Which of the following does NOT usually contribute to or cause obesity?

a. low metabolic rate

b. high caloric intake

c. genetic predisposition

d. rapid metabolism

ANSWER-d. rapid metabolism

Ketone production is the result of:

a. fat metabolization when glucose is unavailable

b. rapid entry of glucose across the cell membrane

c. acidosis when blood glucose levels are low

d. blood glucose levels higher than 120 mg/dL

ANSWER-a. fat metabolization when glucose is unavailable