Homework #3

A young female is unconscious after initially ingesting a large amount of aspirin. You will MOST likely find her respirations:

deep and rapid

Which of the following statements regarding the hypoxic drive is correct?

The hypoxic drive stimulates a person to breathe on the basis of low oxygen levels

When auscultating the lungs of a patient with respiratory distress, you hear adventitious sounds. This means that the patient has:

Abnormal breath sounds

The vocal cords are located in the:

Larynx

Alkalosis is a condition that occurs when:

Blood acidity is reduced by excessive breathing

Which of the following statements regarding the metered-dose inhaler (MDI) is correct?

An MDI delivers the same amount of medication every time it is used

You are assessing a patient with respiratory distress and are unsure if the cause is congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Which of the following clinical signs would be the MOST helpful in determining whether the patient has chronic heart failure or COPD?

Jugular vein distention

You are dispatched to a state park for a young female experiencing an allergic reaction. Your assessment reveals that her breathing is severely labored and her blood pressure is very low. You carry epinephrine auto-injectors on our ambulance and have been trained and approved by your medical director to administer them. As your partner gives the patient supplemental oxygen, you attempt to contact medical control but do not have a signal from your cell phone. You should:

Administer epinephrine to the patient, begin immediate transport, and attempt to contact medical control en route to the hospital

A 31-year-old female is experiencing an acute asthma attack. She is conscious and alert, but in obvious respiratory distress. After assisting her with her prescribed MDI, you should:

Reassess the patient and document her response to the medication

Common signs and symptoms of acute hyperventilation syndrome include:

Tachypnea and tingling in the extremities

You are dispatched to a movie theater for a 39-year-old female with signs and symptoms of a severe allergic reaction. As you are assessing her, she pulls an epinephrine auto-injector out of her purse and hands it to you. After confirming the drug’s name and expiration date, you should:

Contact medical control

A conscious and alert 29-year-old female with a history of asthma complains of difficulty breathing that began after her morning jog. The temperature outside is 40 degrees F (5 degrees C). On exam, you hear bilateral expiratory wheezing. After providing supplemental oxygen, you should:

Determine if she has been prescribed a beta-agonist inhaler

Which of the following is a function of the upper airway?

Warms and humidifies inhaled air

A 22-year-old female patient is complaining of dyspnea and numbness and tingling in her hands and feet after an argument with her fiance. Her respirations are 40 breaths/min. You should:

Provide reassurance and give oxygen as needed

A 62-year-old man with a history of congestive heart failure presents with severe respiratory distress and with an oxygen saturation of 82%. When you auscultate his lungs, you hear widespread rales. He is conscious and alert, is able to follow simple commands, and can only speak in two-to-three-word sentences at a time. You should:

Apply a CPAP device, monitor his blood pressure, and observe him for signs of improvement or deterioration

When assessing for fluid collection in the lungs during auscultation of lung sounds, you should:

Start at the lower lung fields and determine at which level you start hearing clear breath sounds

Treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) would MOST likely be contraindicated in which of the following situations?

Shortness of breath and a blood pressure of 76/56 mmHg

The diaphragm is innervated by the _____ nerve, which allows it to contract

Phrenic

A 60-year-old male presents with acute respiratory distress. He is conscious and alert, has pink and dry skin, and has respirations of 22 breaths/min with adequate depth. Which of the following treatments is MOST appropriate for this patient?

Oxygen via nonrebreathing mask and a focused secondary assessment

Albuterol is a generic name for:

Ventolin

While auscultating an elderly woman’s breath sounds, you hear low-pitched “rattling” sounds at the bases of both of her lungs. This finding is MOST consistent with which of the following conditions?

Aspiration pneumonia

Hyperventilation could be associated with all of the following EXCEPT:

A narcotic overdose

You are dispatched to an apartment complex where a 21-year-old female has apparently overdosed on several narcotic medications. She is semiconscious and has slow, shallow respirations. You should:

Insert a nasopharyngeal airway and begin assisted ventilation

The ____ is a muscular dome that separates the thorax from the abdomen

Diaphragm

All critical life functions are coordinated in which part of the brain?

Brainstem

You receive a call for a 70-year-old female with respiratory distress. Her husband tells you that she has congestive heart failure; however. he does not think that she has been taking her medications as prescribed. The patient is laboring to breathe, appears tired, and has cyanosis around her lips. You should:

Assist her ventilations with a bag-mask device

You are treating a 45-yer-old woman who was stung by a hornet and has a rash. She tells you that she is allergic to hornets and has her own epinephrine auto-injector. She also tells you that she takes medication for hypertension. Her breath sounds do not reveal any wheezing, her breathing is unlabored, and her blood pressure is 154/94 mmHg. What should you do if you are not able to make contact with medical control?

Begin transport to the hospital and closely monitor her condition while en route

For which of the following conditions is albuterol prescribed?

Asthma

Harsh, high-pitched respiratory sounds are characteristic of:

Stridor

With the flowmeter set at 6 L/min, the nasal cannula will deliver up to ____ oxygen

44%