Ch.15 Medical Overview Flashcards
Emergencies that are the result of physical forces applied to the body; injuries
Trauma emergencies
Involve illnesses or conditions caused by disease. Emergencies that are not caused by an outside force; illnesses or conditions
Medical emergencies
__ emergencies occur when patients have trouble breathing or when the amount of oxygen supplied to the tissues is inadequate. Diseases that can lead to___ emergencies include asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
Respiratory emergencies
___emergencies are caused by conditions
affecting the circulatory system. The most common examples that require EMS intervention include heart attacks (myocardial infarction) and congestive heart failure.
Cardiovascular emergencies
__ emergencies involve the brain and may be caused by a seizure, stroke, or fainting (syncope).
Neurologic emergencies
Many ____ conditions can result in a call to EMS for help. A well-known gastrointestinal condition is appendicitis, although there are many others, including diverticulitis and pancreatitis.
Neurologic emergencies
A __ emergency can involve kidney stones or a bladder infection
Urologic emergency
The most common __ emergencies are caused by complications of diabetes mellitus
Endocrine emergencies
___ emergencies may be the result of sickle cell disease or various types of blood clotting disorders such as hemophilia
Hematologic (blood) emergencies
____emergencies involve the body’s response to foreign substances.
When the body overreacts to a foreign substance, it is commonly referred to as an allergic reaction. Allergic reactions are a type of___ medical emergency that can range from fairly minor to life threatening.
Immunologic emergencies
__ emergencies, including poisoning and substance abuse, result in other types of medical emergencies with various presentations.
Toxicologic emergencies
__ emergencies may be especially difficult to manage because patients often do not present with typical signs and symptoms. Alzheimer disease, schizophrenia, depression, suicide
Behavioral emergencies
___ conditions are a special category of medical emergencies that involve the female reproductive organs. Vaginal bleeding, sexually transmitted disease, pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy
Gynecologic emergency
Assessment of a medical patient is similar to the assessment of a trauma patient but with a different focus. Whereas trauma assessments focus on the mechanism of injury or physical injuries, some of which can be detected on a physical examination, medical patient assessment focuses on the___, symptoms, and the patient’s chief complaint.
When you are assessing a patient, establish an accurate medical history. Information received from dispatch can help you anticipate what you might find when you arrive on scene, but it is conceivable that what appears to be a traumatic emergency may in fact be a medical emergency, or vice versa.
nature of illness (NOl)
__ occurs when you become focused on one aspect of the patients condition and exclude all others, which may cause you to miss an important injury or illness
Tunnel vision
Loss of bowel and/or bladder control; may be the result of a generalized seizure
Incontinence
Evaluation of the NOl for a medical patient will provide you with an___ for different types of serious and/or life-threatening underlying illnesses. The___ is your awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying and unseen injuries or illnesses. Initiate spinal stabilization if indicated
index of suspicion
On entering the residence, your __ will tell you if the patient is “sick or not “. This determination will guide the speed and detail of your on scene assessment
General impression
During the reassessment, repeat the__ and reassess the__
primary assessment and reassess the chief complaint
Finally, the__ includes reviewing all treatments that have been performed. Reassess oxygen delivery, any
bandages or splints applied, and any other treatment that has been performed.
Document any changes that have developed as a result of the treatments, and, if needed, adjust any of the treatments accordingly.____ is an important step in patient assessment; it allows you to modify care as needed and ensures you have the most current information on the patient’s condition when you arrive at the hospital.
reassessment
Most medical emergencies require a level of treatment beyond that available in the prehospital setting. Also, the treatments depend on an accurate diagnosis of the exact medical condition, which may require advanced testing that is only available in a hospital. The primary prehospital treatments for medical emergencies address the__ more than the actual disease process.
symptoms
A medication that increases cardiac perfusion by causing blood vessels to dilate; EMTs may be allowed to assist the patient to self-administer this medication
Nitroglycerin
A miniature spray canister used to direct medications through the mouth and into the lungs
Metered-dose inhaler
Administration of medications that are stored in the ambulance is also limited for EMTs and is dependent on state and local protocols. A few of these protocols include administering aspirin for patients having chest pain, administering ora glucose to a patient with diabetes and a low blood glucose level, and possibly administering albuterol to a patient with respiratory difficulty. The administration of activated charcoal to a patient who has ingested a poison is also allowed when it may be beneficial. Each of these situations and any other administration of medication by an EMT require direct permission from__. The process of obtaining permission includes completing a thorough assessment of the patient before calling__. After you give a report to the physician and obtain permission, the medication may be administered.
Never administer any medication without first obtaining permission from__, and always follow your state and local protocols.
medical control