Chapter 15- Primary Assessment Flashcards
As you approach a medical patient, you should develop a ______ of his or her condition
general impression
During primary assessment, perform a rapid examination of the patient to _____
Identify life threats
What are some visual clues that you can observe during your approach to the patient ?
apparent unconsciousness
obvious severe bleeding
extreme difficulty breathing
Quickly determine the patient’s level of consciousness using the _______ scale
APVU
If a patient is alert upon your approach, you can infer the ________ , but it is still necessary to complete a full primary assessment
existence of a pulse and breathing
If a patient is unconscious upon your approach, then you should
Try to get a response to verbal stimuli by speaking to the patient and gently touching them
If a patient does not reply to your verbal stimuli, then you should _____
provide pressure to the nail bed or use the trapezius squeeze to see if the patient responds
What is the trapezius squeeze?
A pinch on the muscle that runs along the side of the neck to the shoulders
If there is no response to verbal or painful stimuli, consider the patient ______
Unresponsive
An initial relatively normal impression can be misleading. Why?
Because the conditions of a dangerously ill medical patient may not appear serious at first
In conscious patients, you should
ensure the airway is open and patient is breathing adequately
Check respiratory rate, depth, and quality
In conscious patients, apply _____ if there is any indication that breathing has been affected
Oxygen
In an unconscious patients,you should
open the airway using proper technique for their condition and take several seconds to evaluate their breathing
What are the three scenarios where you should apply oxygen to patients?
-patient in shock
-Patient with difficulty breathing
-Patient with a low oxygen saturation measurement (less than 94%)
How can you assess circulation in a conscious patient?
-checking the radial pulse
-observing the patients skin color
-observing temperature
-Observing skin condition
pale skin can be difficult to detect in patients with darker skin, so what can you check instead?
Check for slow, capillary refill
Check for pale mucus membranes inside the inner eyelid
on general observation of the skin, the patient may appear
ashen or gray
For unconscious patients, where should you assess the circulation and why?
in the carotid artery because this is generally the site of the strongest pulse
The carotid artery is also very easy to palpate on a supine person
nail clubbing is a condition associated with
Chronic hypoxemia (low oxygen in the blood) seen in various heart and lung disease diseases
When making a transport decision, the following patients should be considered serious condition and should receive rapid transport
patient with airway and breathing problems
Patient with obvious circulation problems, such as severe bleeding
Patients in shock
after the primary assessment is complete, a decision is made regarding
Transport
