CH 25: Poisoning and Overdose Emergencies Flashcards
Which of the following is a common sign and symptom in poisonings of all types?
Nausea and vomiting
Which patient would most likely benefit from the administration of activated charcoal?
14-year-old female who overdoses on her grandfather’s cardiac medication
You are called to the scene of a 21-year-old female patient who is unresponsive. Her boyfriend suspects that she tried to commit suicide by overdosing on her depression medications. The patient is unresponsive to painful stimuli, with agonal respirations, and has vomited. She has a weak carotid pulse. After securing the airway and providing oxygen by bag-valve mask, what is the most important question the EMT can ask regarding the medication?
What medication did she take?
Which of the following is true concerning a patient’s reaction to toxic gases from smoke inhalation?
Signs and symptoms may be delayed.
Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs by which of the following routes?
inhalation
You have just arrived on the scene of an agricultural business and see three men coming out of a building, choking and holding their heads. One of the men tells you there are two workers still inside. What should you do next?
Call for properly trained assistance and stay a safe distance away from the scene.
Which of the following is seen in carbon monoxide poisoning?
A.
Headache
B.
Nausea
C.
Altered mental status
Which of the following is a sign or symptom of withdrawal from alcohol?
Seizures
B.
Hallucinations
C.
Sweating
You are called to the residence of a 78-year-old widow who lives alone with no children. She was found by neighbors on the floor of the living room. She has fallen and fractured her left humerus. She is disoriented and responds to verbal stimuli only. She has a blood pressure of 78/40 and a pulse of 48. She has a history of high blood pressure and takes medication for it. She also takes medication for high cholesterol and a medication to slow down a fast heart rate. Emergency Medical Responders find the medication bottles in the medicine cabinet and they are empty. Your partner suspects that she overdosed on her medications. Do you agree or disagree?
Agree. The vital signs agree with this hypothesis.
What is the most important treatment for a patient who has inhaled a poison?
Administer high-concentration oxygen.
Smoke inhalation can result in all of the following except:
lung contusion.
Cleaning fluid, glue, and model cement are common examples of which of the following?
Volatile chemicals
Why would an EMT give activated charcoal to a patient who overdosed on a medication?
Activated charcoal binds to the medication, preventing absorption by the body.
Your patient is a 50-year-old female with a history of alcoholism. She is found unresponsive in bed by her son. Which of the following possibilities should you keep in mind during your assessment?
Head injury
B.
Heart attack
C.
Low blood sugar
Your patient is a 17-year-old male who is spitting and coughing after swallowing some gasoline while siphoning from a gas tank. Which of the following should you do first?
Contact medical control.
When a substance enters the body through unbroken skin, it has entered the body by which of the following routes?
absorption
Your patient has come in contact with a strong acid substance. Using an alkaline solution to treat the patient may result in which of the following?
A.
Further damage to the patient’s tissues
B.
Neutralization of the acid substance
C.
Production of heat when the acid and alkali interact
Which of the following is a substance that will neutralize a poison or its effects?
antidote
A patient has a dry powder poison covering both upper extremities and chest. You should:
brush the powder off and irrigate the contaminated area with large amounts of water.
Your patient is a conscious 16-year-old female who has ingested an unknown number of sleeping pills. Which of the following questions is least pertinent to the care of this patient?
Who do these sleeping pills belong to?
When a poison attaches to the chemical structure of activated charcoal, which of the following best describes this mechanism of action?
adsorption
A patient who has abused “uppers” will display which of the following signs and symptoms?
Excessive talkativeness, dilated pupils, and dry mouth
You respond to assist law enforcement with a 35-year-old male patient who, according to them, is “high as a kite.” The patient is anxious, tachycardic, and angry. What condition do you suspect?
Cocaine overdose
The opioid triad includes all of the following:
coma.
C.
pinpoint pupils.
D.
respiratory depression.
It is a chilly fall morning and you are called to an RV campground for three patients who are complaining of headache, dizziness, and nausea. Your primary assessment reveals that they are cyanotic and have an altered mental status. You suspect:
carbon monoxide poisoning.
How does carbon monoxide cause toxic effects?
Prevents red blood cells from carrying oxygen
Which of the following is not a way in which poisons can access the body?
radiation
Which of the following is the cause of the black residue found in a patient’s mouth and nose following smoke inhalation?
carbon
Barbiturates may be referred to as which of the following?
Downers
Which of the following is the most important means of managing a patient who has inhaled a poison, after the airway has been established?
High concentrations of oxygen
Which of the following substances may be ordered by medical control to dilute a poison?
Milk or water
What clinical finding is most suggestive of an inhaled poison?
Black-colored sputum
Your patient is a 48-year-old male who has been exposed to a toxic powder that can be absorbed through the skin. Which of the following measures should be taken by the EMT?
Brush off the powder and flush the patient’s skin with copious amounts of water.
Immediate effects of alcohol are due to effects on which body system?
Central nervous system
When a chemical substance is taken for reasons other than therapeutic use, this action is called:
substance abuse.
Your patient is a conscious 4-year-old female who has ingested a medication prescribed for her grandfather. To determine appropriate treatment, which of the following information is not necessary to provide to medical control?
Grandfather’s name and the name of the physician who prescribed the medication
Which of the following is not part of the treatment for a 15-year-old female who has swallowed drain cleaner?
Administer activated charcoal.
Which of the following is an injury that commonly occurs in alcoholic patients with even minor head injuries?
Subdural hematoma
You are treating a 61-year-old who is a chronic alcohol abuser. He is complaining of “snakes slithering around his ankles,” and he tells you that he had only two drinks tonight. You notice that he is sweating, trembling, and anxious. Before you can complete your assessment, he begins to have a seizure. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this situation?
The patient is suffering from alcohol withdrawal.
You are called to the scene of a 14-year-old female patient who is unresponsive. Her mother states she has been teased and bullied at school and she suspects that she tried to commit suicide by taking her pain pills. The patient is unresponsive to painful stimuli, with agonal respirations, and has vomited. She has a weak carotid pulse. Your first action is to:
suction the patient’s airway.
By definition, a systemic poison causes harm to which of the following?
entire body
Which of the following effects may occur due to chronic abuse of alcohol?
A.
Poor nutrition
B.
Abnormal blood sugar levels
C.
Potential for gastrointestinal bleeding
Which of the following statements regarding syrup of ipecac is not true?
it has immediate action
Volatile chemicals are agents that are able to change easily from a ________ into a ________.
liquid; gas
The drug ecstasy is classified as what type of drug?
Hallucinogen
Why should an EMT utilize a local poison control center in managing a poisoning patient?
They can assist in finding out important information about the poison.
Which of the following is one of the most common inhaled poisons associated with fire suppression?
carbon monoxide
Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is an example of which of the following types of drugs?
depressant
You respond to the county jail for a 48-year-old inmate arrested two days ago for public intoxication. Guards state the patient is a known alcoholic and “frequent flier.” The guards state that for several hours the patient was “acting crazy” and seeing “bugs on the walls.” The patient then began seizing and they called for an ambulance. You notice the patient is no longer seizing, diaphoretic, or confused. What condition do you suspect?
Delirium tremens
Which of the following describes any substance produced by a living organism that is poisonous to human beings?
toxin
Which of the following is a trade name for activated charcoal?
actidose
The term poison is best described as any substance that can do which of the following?
harm the body
Signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse include all of the following:
A.
nausea and vomiting.
C.
swaying and unsteadiness of movement.
D.
confusion.
Your patient is a 23-year-old male who is unresponsive in the restroom of a bar. His respirations are slow and shallow, he has a heart rate of 50 beats per minute, he is sweating profusely, and he has constricted pupils. Which of the following substances is most likely responsible for the patient’s condition?
heroin
Your patient is a 38-year-old male who has taken an overdose of several different medications and has consumed some household cleaning agents as well. On your arrival, the patient only responds to painful stimuli and has a heart rate of 90 beats per minute with a respiratory rate of 12 breaths per minute. Medical control orders you to give the patient two to three glasses of milk to drink to dilute the contents of the stomach. Which of the following actions should you do?
Refuse the order and explain why.
Your patient is a 3-year-old male with a stoma in his neck to assist his breathing. The patient has swallowed a household cleaner. Medical direction gives you an order for milk to dilute the stomach contents. Which of the following is the correct way of carrying out this order?
Have the patient drink one glass of milk.
Your patient is a 7-year-old male who ate an unknown type of mushroom on a dare by his friends. You should ask all of the following questions except:
Why did you eat the mushroom?
Which of the following types of drugs may induce sleep or stupor?
Both Narcotics and Tranquilizers
You are called to the scene of a 17-year-old female patient who is unresponsive. Her mother suspects that she tried to commit suicide by taking her pain pills. The patient is unresponsive to painful stimuli, has agonal respirations, and has vomited. She has a weak carotid pulse. After securing the airway and providing oxygen by bag-valve mask, what is your next action?
Perform a secondary assessment of the patient.
Which of the following groups is the most susceptible to the effects of a poison?
elderly
Carbon monoxide poisoning should be suspected when a patient has been in an enclosed area and has which of the following signs and/or symptoms?
A.
Headache, dizziness, and nausea
B.
Breathing difficulty and altered mental status
C.
Flu-like symptoms
Which of the following conditions can mimic the signs of alcohol intoxication?
A.
Epilepsy
B.
Diabetes
C.
Head injuries
You are called to the scene of a local night club for a 21-year-old female patient who is bradycardic and in respiratory arrest. The patient’s airway is patent and the chest easily rises with bag-valve-mask ventilation. The patient’s friends state the patient had only one or two drinks when she suddenly complained of dizziness and “seeing things.” Her friends state that she then passed out, started twitching like she was seizing, and then stopped. Her friends adamantly state that she does not do drugs. What situation do you suspect?
GHB overdose
Your patient is a 3-year-old female who has taken an unknown quantity of aspirin. She is conscious and alert. Which of the following orders is likely to be given by medical control?
Administer activated charcoal.
Your patient is an 18-year-old male who fell into a neighbor’s swimming pool but was pulled out by bystanders. The neighbors report that the patient wandered into their yard and that he said he had a “funny numb feeling” in his head and his chest hurt before stumbling into the pool. As you are performing CPR, you notice that the mucous membranes in his mouth and nose are swollen. Which of the following would account for the patient’s behavior and current condition?
Volatile chemicals
Which of the following is the best initial intervention for a patient who has inhaled a poison?
Provide a patent airway, ventilation, and high-concentration oxygen.
You are called to a farm for a possible insecticide poisoning of one of the workers. Your first action is to:
call for specialized hazardous materials units.
OxyContin is an example of which of the following types of drugs?
narcotic
Which of the following most affects the extent of damage a poison does to the body?
Patient’s age, weight, and general health
Most cases of accidental poisoning involve which of the following?
Young children
Regarding activated charcoal, which of the following is not true?
It is an antidote to many poisons.
Which patient would most likely benefit from the administration of activated charcoal?
Alert 16-year-old female who overdosed on Tylenol
