Chapter 25 Flashcards
You have finished teaching a class on cold emergencies and want to assess if the class understands the concepts. You ask a student to discuss the regulation of temperature in the human body. You know that she understands when she makes which of the following statements?
a. “If the body becomes too hot or too cold, the brain sends instructions so that the body either retains or loses heat.”
b. “If the air outside the body is cold and the body is too hot, the cold air will move into the body to cool it.”
c. “Because cellular activity constantly generates heat, the body must always be cooler than the air that surrounds it.”
d. “For its cells to function properly, the body must always be warmer than the air that surrounds it.”
a. “If the body becomes too hot or too cold, the brain sends instructions so that the body either retains or loses heat.”
b. “If the air outside the body is cold and the body is too hot, the cold air will move into the body to cool it.”
c. “Because cellular activity constantly generates heat, the body must always be cooler than the air that surrounds it.”
d. “For its cells to function properly, the body must always be warmer than the air that surrounds it.”
Answer: a
Objective: Supplemental
Reference: 815
You are assessing a conscious but confused hiker who became lost in the woods on a cold day. Your assessment shows that he has an open airway, adequate breathing, and a weak radial pulse. His skin is cold to the touch and he is shivering. OEC Technicians should recognize that the:
a. cold caused the patient’s brain to become dysfunctional, as evidenced by the shivering.
b. shivering actually represents a small seizure, which indicates that the brain is cold.
c. shivering is a protective means by which the body is attempting to warm itself.
d. shivering indicates that the patient’s core body temperature has fallen below 90°F.
a. cold caused the patient’s brain to become dysfunctional, as evidenced by the shivering.
b. shivering actually represents a small seizure, which indicates that the brain is cold.
c. shivering is a protective means by which the body is attempting to warm itself.
d. shivering indicates that the patient’s core body temperature has fallen below 90°F.
Answer: c
Objective: 25-2
Reference: 816
A young man who was angry with friends wandered away from a party and spent the night outside uncovered in 40–50 degree temperatures. He is confused, has decreased but adequate breathing, and has a weak radial pulse. His skin is cool, and capillary refill is delayed. When looking to see if he is shivering, you note that he is not. Based on this presentation, OEC Technicians can safely conclude that the:
a. patient is exhibiting signs indicating that he is compensating and conserving heat.
b. patient’s body temperature is most likely dangerously low.
c. absence of shivering indicates that body temperature is almost back to normal.
d. cause of his confusion is not related to exposure to the low overnight temperatures.
a. patient is exhibiting signs indicating that he is compensating and conserving heat.
b. patient’s body temperature is most likely dangerously low.
c. absence of shivering indicates that body temperature is almost back to normal.
d. cause of his confusion is not related to exposure to the low overnight temperatures.
Answer: b
Objective: 25-2
Reference: 819
You and your friends are camping on a 20-degree day. Which of the following assessment findings best illustrates that your bodies are no longer compensating for the effects of the cold?
a. Cool and clammy skin
b. Loss of fine motor coordination
c. Shivering
d. Hypertension
Cool and clammy skin
b. Loss of fine motor coordination
c. Shivering
d. Hypertension
Answer: b
Objective: 25-2
Reference: 819
Which of the following processes may account for as much as 60 percent of heat loss from the body?
a. Conduction
b. Respiration
c. Radiation
d. Evaporation
a. Conduction
b. Respiration
c. Radiation
d. Evaporation
Answer: c
Objective: 25-1
Reference: 817
Which of the following actions should you take to decrease a patient’s heat loss due to radiation?
a. Put a hat on the patient’s head.
b. Turn off all fans in the room.
c. Wipe the patient’s skin down with warm water.
d. Apply warm packs to the patient’s body.
a. Put a hat on the patient’s head.
b. Turn off all fans in the room.
c. Wipe the patient’s skin down with warm water.
d. Apply warm packs to the patient’s body.
Answer: a
Objective: 25-1
Reference: 828
Which of the following patients is losing body heat by the mechanism of convection?
a. A 41-year-old female who is intoxicated and has passed out in the snow
b. A 56-year-old male who is confused and perspiring heavily
c. A 63-year-old female who took a drug that depressed her brain function
d. A 30-year-old male exposed to a light breeze in a cool environment
a. A 41-year-old female who is intoxicated and has passed out in the snow
b. A 56-year-old male who is confused and perspiring heavily
c. A 63-year-old female who took a drug that depressed her brain function
d. A 30-year-old male exposed to a light breeze in a cool environment
Answer: d
Objective: 25-1
Reference: 816
A patient who is conscious and breathing has been pulled from a stream of cold water. To decrease her loss of heat via the mechanism of conduction, an OEC Technician should immediately:
a. cover her with a blanket.
b. remove her wet clothing.
c. provide positive-pressure ventilation.
d. encourage her to stop shivering.
a. cover her with a blanket.
b. remove her wet clothing.
c. provide positive-pressure ventilation.
d. encourage her to stop shivering.
Answer: b
Objective: 25-7
Reference: 816, 830
Based on your OEC training, which of the following patients is most likely suffering from generalized hypothermia?
a. A 21-year-old female who was trapped in cold water for 10 minutes before being rescued
b. A 19-year-old male whose ears are firm and waxy in appearance
c. A 34-year-old male whose fingers and toes are blue from exposure to the cold
d. A 87-year-old alcoholic with hand pain and numbness after shoveling snow without wearing gloves
a. A 21-year-old female who was trapped in cold water for 10 minutes before being rescued
b. A 19-year-old male whose ears are firm and waxy in appearance
c. A 34-year-old male whose fingers and toes are blue from exposure to the cold
d. A 87-year-old alcoholic with hand pain and numbness after shoveling snow without wearing gloves
Answer: a
Objective: Supplemental
Reference: 820
You are scheduled to give a presentation on cold-related emergencies to an OEC class. In preparing the talk, which of the following points should you emphasize?
a. Prevention of heat loss is crucial in the care of all cold injury patients.
b. Of the two types of cold-related injuries, a local cold injury, or frostbite, is more life threatening because it can result in the loss of fingers, toes, arms, or legs.
c. Coma or unresponsiveness in a patient suffering a cold-related injury is actually protective because it decreases the body’s energy requirements.
d. A cold-related emergency becomes critical when body temperature falls below 79°F because at that point the body loses the ability to regulate its temperature.
a. Prevention of heat loss is crucial in the care of all cold injury patients.
b. Of the two types of cold-related injuries, a local cold injury, or frostbite, is more life threatening because it can result in the loss of fingers, toes, arms, or legs.
c. Coma or unresponsiveness in a patient suffering a cold-related injury is actually protective because it decreases the body’s energy requirements.
d. A cold-related emergency becomes critical when body temperature falls below 79°F because at that point the body loses the ability to regulate its temperature.
Answer: a
Objective: 25-7
Reference: 828
Which of the following signs would you observe earliest in a hypothermic patient?
a. Confusion
b. Hypotension
c. Shivering
d. Bradycardia
a. Confusion
b. Hypotension
c. Shivering
d. Bradycardia
Answer: c
Objective: 25-2
Reference: 825
Which of the following statements about immersion hypothermia is false?
a. A patient pulled from cold water should be moved to a warm environment immediately.
b. Immersion hypothermia typically does not occur until the water temperature is below 35°F.
c. Adults typically can withstand exposure to colder water for a longer period of time than can children.
d. It is important to remove the clothes of a patient exposed to cold water as soon as possible.
a. A patient pulled from cold water should be moved to a warm environment immediately.
b. Immersion hypothermia typically does not occur until the water temperature is below 35°F.
c. Adults typically can withstand exposure to colder water for a longer period of time than can children.
d. It is important to remove the clothes of a patient exposed to cold water as soon as possible.
Answer: b
Objective: 25-7
Reference: 819
Your friend, who is a paramedic, is describing an emergency call he was on last weekend. He tells you that he cared for a 78-year-old woman who had slipped while getting out of her bathtub and had been lying on a tile floor for almost 24 hours. When your friend arrived he found the woman confused and cold to the touch. Although it was 80 degrees outside, the temperature in the apartment was only 68 because she had her air conditioner running on high. Based on your OEC training, you recognize that this patient was probably suffering from:
a. hypothermia caused by a medical condition.
b. generalized hyperthermia caused by evaporation.
c. hypothermia due to heat loss caused by conduction.
d. localized hypothermia caused by immobility.
a. hypothermia caused by a medical condition.
b. generalized hyperthermia caused by evaporation.
c. hypothermia due to heat loss caused by conduction.
d. localized hypothermia caused by immobility.
Answer: c
Objective: 25-1
Reference: 816
A young boy complains of pain in his fingers after spending several hours outside riding a sled in cold temperatures. After ensuring that he has no life-threatening conditions, you turn your attention to his hands and note that his fingers are cold to the touch. Which of the following signs or symptoms would help confirm your suspicion that he is suffering from early or superficial frostbite?
a. Soft but numb skin on the fingers
b. A history of being exposed to cold temperatures
c. Swelling of and blisters on the fingers
d. Firm but numb cold skin on the fingers
a. Soft but numb skin on the fingers
b. A history of being exposed to cold temperatures
c. Swelling of and blisters on the fingers
d. Firm but numb cold skin on the fingers
Answer: a
Objective: 25-3
Reference: 819
When assessing the vital signs of a severely hypothermic patient, OEC Technicians should:
a. vigorously shake the patient to assess the true level of responsiveness.
b. monitor the patient’s pulse and respirations for ten seconds.
c. check the patient’s radial pulse to avoid exposing the patient’s head and neck to the cold.
d. warm their own fingers for a full minute to ensure that they can feel the patient’s pulse.
a. vigorously shake the patient to assess the true level of responsiveness.
b. monitor the patient’s pulse and respirations for ten seconds.
c. check the patient’s radial pulse to avoid exposing the patient’s head and neck to the cold.
d. warm their own fingers for a full minute to ensure that they can feel the patient’s pulse.
Answer: b
Objective: 25-7
Reference: 831
