Airway & Breathing

Question 1

Which type of connective tissue is located in bone marrow and works to form blood cells?  
  Blood  
  Bone  
  Cartilage  
  Hemopoietic

Answer 1

Hemopoietic

Question 2

During the first 8 weeks of pregnancy, a fertilized egg is medically referred to as a(n)?  
  Fetus  
  Embryo  
  Zygote  
  Egg

Answer 2

Embryo

Question 3

Which of the following is the lowest or most inferior portion of the brain?  
  Cerebellum  
  Cerebrum  
  Brain Stem  
  Spinal Cord

Answer 3

Brain Stem

Question 4

PID, or Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, results from an infection of the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, as well as their supporting structures. The two most common bacterias known to cause this disease are?  
  HPV and HBV  
  HPV and HAV  
  Gonorrhea and Chlamydia  
  HIV and HCV

Answer 4

Gonorrhea and Chlamydia

Question 5

The implementation of tsunami warning system with monthly drills is known as what?  
  Disaster mitigation  
  Disaster response  
  Disaster aversion  
  Disaster recognition

Answer 5

Disaster mitigation

Mitigation involves early warning to disasters in an effort to try and reduce the destruction of an event.

Question 6

After an adult cardiac arrest patient has been intubated by your paramedic partner, you are tasked with providing ventilations as another member of your crew performs chest compressions. When ventilating the patient, you should?
Deliver 2 breaths during a brief pause of chest compressions
Deliver each breath over roughly 1 second at a rate of 8 to 10 breaths per minute
Hyperventilate the patient to maximize CO2 elimination
Deliver each breath over 3 seconds at a rate of 12 to 15 breaths per minute

Answer 6

Deliver each breath over roughly 1 second at a rate of 8 to 10 breaths per minute

Question 7

Prehospital management for the treatment of a flail chest segment may include which of the following?
Needle decompression
Positive pressure ventilation with a BVM
Occlusive dressing
Needle thoractomy

Answer 7

Positive pressure ventilation with a BVM

By giving PPV to a patient with a flail chest segment you reverse the mechanism that causes the paradoxical chest wall movement. This restores tidal volume, and significantly reduces the amount of pain associated with the flail segment.

Question 8

You have been instructed by medical control to deliver 40% oxygen concentration to your COPD patient. What delivery device will best allow you to accomplish this? 
  Nasal cannula  
  Nonrebreather mask  
  Venturi mask  
  Bag-valve mask

Answer 8

Venturi mask

Achieving precise oxygen concentration can only be performed by a Venturi mask. Paramedics attach color-coded adapters responsible for controlling the oxygen flow rate.

Question 9

patient must have which of the following, in order for nasotracheal intubation to be indicated?  
  Spontaneous breathing  
  No gag reflex  
  Apnea  
  GCS of 3

Answer 9

Spontaneous breathing

Question 10

A semiconscious 23-year-old male has shallow, gurgling respirations at a rate of 10 breaths per minute. Initial management includes?
Suctioning the oropharynx
Inserting an NPA
Initiating positive pressure ventilations
Applying 100% oxygen via NRB 

Answer 10

Suctioning the oropharynx

Question 11

You are about to attempt an intubation on a 4-year-old child using a Miller blade. This blade is designed to?  
  Fit into the vallecular space  
  Slide under and move the epiglottis  
  Rest near the base of the tongue  
  Lift the thyroid cartilage

Answer 11

Slide under and move the epiglottis

Often the choice for pediatrics, the miller blade is designed to slip over the epiglottis, which exposes a view of the larynx. The Macintosh blade will fit into the vallecular space, lifting the epiglottis and exposing the larynx.

Question 12

What is the normal V/Q ratio of the lungs?

0. 8
1. 2
2. 6
3. 4

Answer 12

0.8

Blood must be flowing past the alveoli for gas exchange to occur. The V/Q ratio is the ratio of air to alveolar capillary blood flow.

Question 13

Pulse oximetry measures?
The percentage of hemoglobin saturated with oxygen
The oxygen available to muscle/organs
The oxygen carrying capacity of hemoglobin
The percentage of oxygen dissolved in venous blood

Answer 13

The percentage of hemoglobin saturated with oxygen

Denoted by SpO2, pulse oximetry is measuring the arterial saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen. The problem with Sp02 is that it is measuring the percentage of bound hemoglobin and will present falsely high when carbon monoxide is also present.

Question 14

This type of abnormal respiratory pattern is characterized by oscillation of ventilation with equal intervals of apnea?  
  Ataxic  
  Biot  
  Cheyne-Stokes  
  Kussmaul

Answer 14

Cheyne-Stokes

Question 15

Which of the following processes occurs during inhalation?
Both the intercostal muscles and diaphragm contract
The intercostal muscles relax and the diaphragm contracts
The intercostal muscles contracts and the diaphragm relaxes
Both the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm relax

Answer 15

Both the intercostal muscles and diaphragm contract

Question 16

Your patient is a 26-year-old female complaining of chest pain with tingling in all extremities and numbness in her face. Her blood pressure is 142/82, respirations of 36, and a heart rate of 110 beats per minute with your cardiac monitor showing sinus tachycardia. After your assessment, she states she has been “very stressed and anxious tonight”. You would suspect your patient’s capnography reading to show?
PCO2 > 45mmHg
PCO2 35-45mmHg
PCO2

Answer 16

PCO2

Question 17

Solu-Medrol is a medication that can be used for which of the following conditions?  
  Severe asthma  
  CHF  
  Hypoglycemia  
  Pulmonary Edema

Answer 17

Severe asthma

Question 18

You have been dispatched to a restaurant for a possible choking. Your patient is an 18-month-old male who was eating chicken nuggets when he began to cough and appeared to experience respiratory distress. Your patient has a weak cry and cough and you can hear inspiratory stridor from your patient when you walk in the door. What should your immediate action be?  
  Abdominal thrusts  
  Back blows and chest thrusts  
  Finger sweep  
  Let the patient continue to cough

Answer 18

Abdominal thrusts

Abdominal thrusts are indicated for this patient since he is older than 1. Patient’s less than 1 years of age should receive chest thrusts and back blows. Even though your patient is coughing, it has become weak (ineffective) and you can hear inspiratory stridor. If you do not act quickly, this partial airway obstruction could become a full airway obstruction.