Chapter 18 Gastrointestinal and Urologic Emergencies Flashcards
For a patient with a gastrointestinal complaint, it is most important for the EMT to:
Identify whether the patient requires rapid transport
What organ in the body helps filter the blood and has no digestive function?
The spleen
You patient complains of chronic “burning” stomach pain that improves after eating. You should suspect:
Peptic ulcer disease
Your patient complains of abdominal pain that occurs mostly at night or after eating fatty foods. You should suspect:
Cholecystitis
Urinary tract infections are most common in:
Women
What may help reduce your patients nausea?
Low-flow oxygen
Pain that may be perceived at a distant point on the surface of the body, such as the back or shoulder, is called:
Referred pain
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:
Protect her airway from aspiration
Patients who miss a dialysis treatment often present with _____?
Weakness
Peritonitis may result in shock because:
Fluid shifts from the bloodstream into the body tissues
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?
Kidney
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:
Mallory Weiss tear
How should you palpate a patient with abdominal pain?
Palpate the abdomen in a clockwise direction, beginning with the quadrant after the one the patient indicates is painful
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):
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Most patients with abdominal pain prefer to:
Lie on their side with their knees drawn into the abdomen
Be in the fetal position
_____ commonly produces symptoms about 30 minutes after a particularly fatty meal and usually at night.
Cholecystitis
_____ occur(s) when there is excess pressure within the portal system and surrounding vessel and may lead to life-threatening bleeding.
Esophageal varices
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?
Is the pain constant or intermittent?
When the abdominal muscles become rigid in an effort to protect the abdomen from further irritation, this is referred to as:
Guarding
A(n) _____ is the protrusion of a loop of an organ or tissue through an abnormal body opening.
Hernia
_____ is complete obstruction of blood circulation in a given organ as a result of compression or entrapment.
Strangulation
_____ describes severe kidney failure resulting in the buildup of waste products within the blood.
Uremia
_____ are solid crystalized masses formed in the kidney, resulting from an excess of insoluble salts of uric acid crystalizing in the urine.
Kidney stones
Define ileus
Paralysis of the bowel
Define retroperitoneal
Behind the peritoneum
Inflammation of the peritoneum is called:
Peritonitis
What is the membrane lining the abdomen?
Peritoneum
Define an acute abdomen
A condition of sudden onset of pain within the abdomen
What is cholecystitis?
Inflammation of the gallbladder
What is diverticulitis?
Small outcroppings (pouches) in the colon (diverticula) that get infected and inflamed
What does PUD stand for?
Peptic Ulcer Disease
Define PUD
The protective layer of the organ is eroded, allowing acid to eat the organ
What is a common symptom of PUD?
Burning/gnawing pain in the stomach that subsides after eating and reemerges 2-3 hours later
Where is pain localized for pancreatitis?
LUQ and RUQ
Where is pain localized for appendicitis?
RLQ
What is a classic symptom of appendicitis?
Rebound tenderness (pain from pressure release)
What is often seen in an upper GI track hemorrhage?
Hematemesis - blood is either bright red or has the appearance of coffee grounds
What is often seen in a lower GI track hemorrhage?
Melena, dark tarry stool
Define esophageal varcies?
When the pressure within the blood vessels surrounding the esophagus increases, frequently as a result of liver failure
Define Mallory-Weiss tear
A tear in the junction between the esophagus and the stomach; causing severe bleeding
Define Cystitis
Bladder inflammation generally due to bacterial infection (UTI)
What is dialysis?
The process where a patients blood is filtered and cleansed of toxins then returned to the body
