Chapter 19: Toxicology Flashcards
What is the first question you should ask a person suspected of ingesting a poison such a lye?
what substances did you take
Opioids are medications with actions similar to:
morphine
Essentially, poisons get into the patient’s body by inhalation, injection, ingestion, and:
absorption
oisons that come in contact with the surface of the body can affect the patient in many ways. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between contact absorption and:
contact burns
If local protocol allows you to administer activated charcoal, you should administer the premixed suspension in a
covered cup with a straw
Which of the four avenues of poisoning can be the most worrisome?
injection
Treatment of poison focuses on support. The EMT must assess and maintain the ABCs, being sure to monitor the patients
breathing
The “street” name for crack cocaine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine is:
speed
________ is one of the most addicting substances known.
cocaine
Signs and symptoms of sympathomimetics include all of the following except:
- hypertension.
- tachycardia.
- pinpoint pupils.
- hyperthermia.
-pinpoint pupils.
Approximately what percentage of poisonings is by mouth?
80%
What is the most commonly abused drug in the United States?
alcohol
___ poisoning affects 5 million children and adults per year
acute
___ poisoning is much more common
chronic
rates of death caused by poisoning have ____ in children
DEC
rates of death caused by poisoning have ____ in adults
INC
____ is the study of toxic or poisonous substances
toxicology
a _____ is any substance whose chemical action can damage body structures or impair body function
poison
common complication of substance abuse is
overdose
overdose is when a patient
takes a toxic dose of a drug
your primary responsibility with a poisoned patient is to
recognize that poisoning has occurred
once you recognize that poisoning has occurred you should
notify medical control and begin emergency treatment
when trying to determine the nature of the poison look around the immediate area for
overturned bottles, needles, scattered pills, overturned plant
____ can provide critical info like:
name and concentration of drug
ingredients
number of pills in bottle originally
containers
if the patient vomits examine the contents for ____ and collect the vomitus in a plastic bag so it can be analyzed by the hospital
pill fragments
most important treatment for poisoning is ____ or _____ the poisonous agent
diluting or physically removing the poisonous agent
with inhalation poisoning move the patient into
fresh air
some patients may need _____ after removal from the toxic environment
decontamination
use a ______ to protect yourself
self contained breathing apparatus
in \_\_\_\_\_ poisons affect the patient by skin damage chemical burns rashes/lesions systemic effects
absorption
for chemical agents in eyes irrigate for ____ min for acids and ____ min for alkalis
5-10 min for acids
15-20 min for alkalis
irrigate the contact area with _____
water
only time you should not irrigate the contact area with water is id
they have been contaminated with a poison that reacts violently with water
ingested poisoning is often ____ in children and ____ in adults
accidental in children and deliberate in adults
goal with ingested poisons is to
rapidly remove as much poison as possible from the GI tract
two interventions for ingested poison (need med control approval)
syrup of ipecac and activated charcoal
contraindications for activated charcoal
acid/alkali/petroleum ingestion
dec LOC
inability to swallow
usual dose of activated charcoal is
1 g/kg body weight
____ are impossible to remove or dilute and are usually absorbed quickly into the body and cause intense local tissue destruction
injected poisons
consider _____ before transport
decontamination
in the secondary assessment focus on the
area of the body involved with the poisoning or route of exposure
dilute airborne exposures with
O2
remove contact exposures with
copious amounts of water
_____ is the need for the amount of a substance over time to reach the same desired effect
tolerance
effect of alcohol
depresses the CNS
worry about ______ in patients who took opioids
respiratory depression
MDMA, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, PCP are all
sympathomimetics
DUMBELS
Defecation Urination Meiosis Bronchorrhea Emesis Lacrimation Salivation
acteaminophen overdose damages the
liver
