AEMT 15 Flashcards
When should you think about PPE?
Initial approach to the scene
You collect information using what senses?
Sight, hearing, smell and touch.
information from what two steps help you care for your patient in the first few moments of an emergancy?
Scene size up and primary assessment
Kinetic energy can produce what?
Blunt or penetrating injuries
If the MOI could have produced injury to the cervical spine you must?
Take cervical spine precautions
If patient is unresponsive and there is a possible cervical spine injury first check the carotid pulse and if there is a pulse your next step is to?
Open the airway with modified jaw thrust.
When do you start the scene size up?
as you approach the scene
What kind of valuable information do you gather during the scene size up?
Presence of hazards, number of patients, and additional resourses needed.
When does the scene size up end?
It continues until you leave the scene
What is the purpose of the primary assessment?
To immedciately identify and correct conditions that can cause the patient’s death if not corrected at once.
What is perfusion?
The delivery of oxygenated blood to the cellular level.
What happens with out adequate perfusion?
Cell damage and death begin within minutes
If patient is alert and responding or unresponsive but breathing there is some degree of cellular perfusion taking place and you determine priority status by checkin life threats in what order?
ABC
Patient appers to be unresponsive and not breathing or breathing inefficiently, you check what before opening the airway?
Carotid pulse. The order is CAB
THe most important step in resesitation of a patient in cardiac arrest is?
Restoring Circulation
What is an indication that perfusion of the skin is decreased, perhaps from shock?
Pale skin color
What is a visible sign of hypoxia
Cyanosis in areas such as ears, lips or nail beds.
What indicates sever liver disease?
Jaundice. (yellowing of the skin)
In ABCD what order is D assessed?
First. (level of response AVPU)
If the patients eyes are closed or he seems unaware of your pressence check his alertness with what?
Verbal stimuli
Glasgow coma scale score should be determined with which patients?
Every patient but you should not delay any part of the primary assessment to do so.
what does the GCS scale range from?
3-15
If the cause of unresponsiveness is not immediately correctable what do you do?
do not delay insertine an appropriate airway, performing ventilation and xporting the patient.
What is the chief complaint?
The reason the patient states, in his own words, that he needs medical assistance.
If the patient does not have a pulse what do you do next
immediatly start compressions and apply and AED
What is the most common cause of airway obstruction in a non responsive patient
epiglottis closes over the glottis and the tongue falls back into the posterior pharynx obstructing it.
What snoring a sign of?
Partial airway obstruction
Why would having no gag reflex in a patient with decreased level of responsiveness be a risk?
They could asperate and cause airway obstruction.
Stridor sounds like?
High pitchd whistling indicating a partial upper airway ubstruction
Gurgling indicates what?
Fluid in the upper airway, which must be removed by suctioning.
What do you do if there is inadequate air movement?
ventilate the patient using a bag valve device.
If you do not see adequate airmovement what two things could be wrong?
Either a partial airway obstruction or the patient is not breathing adequatly
If you hear weezing or crackles that is an indication your patient is in?
Respitory Distress.
Normal breathing is what?
Effortless and quiet.
Apnea is what?
Respiratory arrest or the absence of breathing
slow, shallow, gasping ineffective respirations are called
agonal resperations (dying)
Healthy adulp patients breath at a regular rate of ?
12-20 breaths a minute
what is the normal tidal volume for the average adult?
500ML
What does weezing indicate
constriction of the bronchioles which interferes with movement of air in and out of the aveoli.
After you have astablisthed an airway you do what?
Check the pulse and control bleeding
A strong radial pulse in a healthy adult is what?
60-100 per minute
You can tell there is good perfusion if the skin is?
Warm and dry
For unresponsive patients what should be checked prior to checking for breathing?
Pulse
If a pulse is present on an unresponsive patient procide with what?
ABC’s
If your patient is responsive what do you do in your primary assessment?
Confirm level of responsiveness; check for problems with airway, breathing and circulation and determine cheif complaint.
