Chapter 18 Gastrointestinal and Urologic Emergencies

Question 1

For a patient with a gastrointestinal complaint, it is most important for the EMT to:

Answer 1

Identify whether the patient requires rapid transport

Question 2

What organ in the body helps filter the blood and has no digestive function?

Answer 2

The spleen

Question 3

You patient complains of chronic “burning” stomach pain that improves after eating. You should suspect:

Answer 3

Peptic ulcer disease

Question 4

Your patient complains of abdominal pain that occurs mostly at night or after eating fatty foods. You should suspect:

Answer 4

Cholecystitis

Question 5

Urinary tract infections are most common in:

Answer 5

Women

Question 6

What may help reduce your patients nausea?

Answer 6

Low-flow oxygen

Question 7

Pain that may be perceived at a distant point on the surface of the body, such as the back or shoulder, is called:

Answer 7

Referred pain

Question 8

A 30-year-old women with a history of alcoholism presents with severe upper abdominal pain and is vomiting large amounts of bright red blood. Her skin is cool, pale, and clammy; her heart rate is 120 beats/min and weak; and her blood pressure is 70/50 mmHg. Your most immediate action should be to:

Answer 8

Protect her airway from aspiration

Question 9

Patients who miss a dialysis treatment often present with _____?

Answer 9

Weakness

Question 10

Peritonitis may result in shock because:

Answer 10

Fluid shifts from the bloodstream into the body tissues

Question 11

A young female presents with costovertebral angle tenderness. She is conscious and alert with stable vital signs. What organ is most likely causing her pain?

Answer 11

Kidney

Question 12

A 29-year-old pregnant women has had severe vomiting for the last 2 days. Today, she is vomiting large amounts of blood. Her skin is cool and pale and she is tachycardic. The EMT should suspect:

Answer 12

Mallory Weiss tear

Question 13

How should you palpate a patient with abdominal pain?

Answer 13

Palpate the abdomen in a clockwise direction, beginning with the quadrant after the one the patient indicates is painful

Question 14

A 59-year-old male presents with sudden-onset severe lower back pain. He is conscious and alert, but very restless and diaphoretic. Your assessment reveals a pulsating mass to the left of his umbilicus. You should suspect a(n):

Answer 14

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Question 15

Most patients with abdominal pain prefer to:

Answer 15

Lie on their side with their knees drawn into the abdomen

Be in the fetal position

Question 16

_____ commonly produces symptoms about 30 minutes after a particularly fatty meal and usually at night.

Answer 16

Cholecystitis

Question 17

_____ occur(s) when there is excess pressure within the portal system and surrounding vessel and may lead to life-threatening bleeding.

Answer 17

Esophageal varices

Question 18

You have been dispatched to the home of a 52-year-old women with severe flank pain. What would be an appropriate question to ask regarding the pain?

Answer 18

Is the pain constant or intermittent?

Question 19

When the abdominal muscles become rigid in an effort to protect the abdomen from further irritation, this is referred to as:

Answer 19

Guarding

Question 20

A(n) _____ is the protrusion of a loop of an organ or tissue through an abnormal body opening.

Answer 20

Hernia

Question 21

_____ is complete obstruction of blood circulation in a given organ as a result of compression or entrapment.

Answer 21

Strangulation

Question 22

_____ describes severe kidney failure resulting in the buildup of waste products within the blood.

Answer 22

Uremia

Question 23

_____ are solid crystalized masses formed in the kidney, resulting from an excess of insoluble salts of uric acid crystalizing in the urine.

Answer 23

Kidney stones

Question 24

Define ileus

Answer 24

Paralysis of the bowel

Question 25

Define retroperitoneal

Answer 25

Behind the peritoneum

Question 26

Inflammation of the peritoneum is called:

Answer 26

Peritonitis

Question 27

What is the membrane lining the abdomen?

Answer 27

Peritoneum

Question 28

Define an acute abdomen

Answer 28

A condition of sudden onset of pain within the abdomen

Question 29

What is cholecystitis?

Answer 29

Inflammation of the gallbladder

Question 30

What is diverticulitis?

Answer 30

Small outcroppings (pouches) in the colon (diverticula) that get infected and inflamed

Question 31

What does PUD stand for?

Answer 31

Peptic Ulcer Disease

Question 32

Define PUD

Answer 32

The protective layer of the organ is eroded, allowing acid to eat the organ

Question 33

What is a common symptom of PUD?

Answer 33

Burning/gnawing pain in the stomach that subsides after eating and reemerges 2-3 hours later

Question 34

Where is pain localized for pancreatitis?

Answer 34

LUQ and RUQ

Question 35

Where is pain localized for appendicitis?

Answer 35

RLQ

Question 36

What is a classic symptom of appendicitis?

Answer 36

Rebound tenderness (pain from pressure release)

Question 37

What is often seen in an upper GI track hemorrhage?

Answer 37

Hematemesis - blood is either bright red or has the appearance of coffee grounds

Question 38

What is often seen in a lower GI track hemorrhage?

Answer 38

Melena, dark tarry stool

Question 39

Define esophageal varcies?

Answer 39

When the pressure within the blood vessels surrounding the esophagus increases, frequently as a result of liver failure

Question 40

Define Mallory-Weiss tear

Answer 40

A tear in the junction between the esophagus and the stomach; causing severe bleeding

Question 41

Define Cystitis

Answer 41

Bladder inflammation generally due to bacterial infection (UTI)

Question 42

What is dialysis?

Answer 42

The process where a patients blood is filtered and cleansed of toxins then returned to the body