Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured Chapter 14

Abdominal Thrust Maneuver

The preferred method to dislodge a severe airway obstruction in adults and children; also called the Heimlich maneuver.

Active compression/decompression CPR

A technique that involves compressing the chest and then actively pulling it back up to its neutral position or beyond (decompression); may increase the amount of blood that returns to the heart, and thus, the amount of blood ejected from the heart during the compression phase.

Avanced Life Support (ALS)

Advanced life saving procedures, some of which are now being provided by the EMT

Basic Life Support (BLS)

Noninvasive emergency lifesaving care that is used to treat medical conditions, including airway obstruction, respiratory arrest, and cardiac arrest.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

The combination of chest compressions and rescue breathing used to establish adequate ventilation and circulation in a patient who is not breathing and has no pulse.

Chest compression fraction

The total percentage of time during a resuscitation attempt in which active chest compressions are being performed.

Dependent lividity

Blood settling to the lowest point of the body, causing discoloration of the skin; a definitive sign of death.

Gastric distention

A condition in which air fills the stomach, often as a result of high volume and pressure during artificial ventilation.

Head tilt-chin lift maneuver

A combination of two movements to open the airway by tilting the forehead back and lifting the chin; not used for trauma patients.

Hyperventilation

Rapid or deep breathing that lowers the blood carbon dioxide level below normal. May lead to increased intrathoracic pressure, decreased venous return, and hypotension when associated with bag-mask device use.

Impedence threshold device (ITD)

A valve device placed between the endotracheal tube and a bag-mask device that limits the amount of air entering the lungs during the recoil phase between chest compressions.

Ischemia

A lack of oxygen that deprives tissues of necessary nutrients, resulting from partial or complete blockage of blood flow; potentially reversible because permanent injury has not yet occurred.

Jaw-thrust maneuver

Technique to open the airway by placing the fingers behind the angle of the jaw and bringing the jaw forward; used for patients who may have a cervical spine injury.

load-distributing band (LDB)

A circumferential chest compression device composed of a constricting band and backboard that is either electrically or pneumatically driven to compress the heart by putting inward pressure on the thorax.

Mechanical piston device

A device that depresses the sternum via a compressed gas-powered plunger mounted on a backboard.

Recovery position

A side-lying position used to maintain a clear airway in unconscious patients without injuries who are breathing adequately.

return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)

The return of a pulse and effective blood flow to the body in a patient who previously was in cardiac arrest.

Rigor mortis

Stiffening of the body muscles; a definitive sign of death.

Stridor

A harsh, high-pitched respiratory sound, generally heard during inspiration, that is caused by partial blockage or narrowing of the upper airway; may be audible without a stethoscope.

Ventilation

Exchange of air between the lungs and the environment, spontaneously by the patient or with assistance from another person, such as an EMT.