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EMS-"Vital Vocabulary" > Chapter 8: Patient Assessment > Flashcards

Chapter 8: Patient Assessment Flashcards

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1
Q

The secondary muscles of respiration. They include the neck muscles (sternocleidomastoids), the chest pectoralis major muscles, and the abdominal muscles.

A

accessory muscles

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2
Q

To listen to the sounds within an organ with a stethoscope

A

auscultate

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3
Q

A method of assessing the level of consciousness by determining whether the patient is awake and alert, responsive to verbal stimuli or pain, or unresponsive; used principally early in the assessment process

A

AVPU scale

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4
Q

The pressure of circulating blood against the walls of the arteries

A

blood pressure

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5
Q

a slow heart rate, less than 60 beats per minute

A

bradycardia

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6
Q

An indication of air movement in the lungs, usually assessed with a stethoscope

A

breath sounds

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7
Q

A test that evaluates distal circulatory system function by squeezing (blanching) blood from an area such as a nail bed and watching the speed of its return after releasing the pressure

A

capillary refill

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8
Q

A noninvasive method that can quickly and efficiently provide information on a patient’s ventilatory status, circulation, and metabolism

A

capnography

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9
Q

The use of a capnometer, a devices that measures the amount of expired carbon dioxide

A

capnometry

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10
Q

typically makes up 0.3% of air at sea level, It is also a waste product exhaled during expiration by the respiratory system

A

carbon dioxide

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11
Q

The reason a patient called for help; the patient’s response to questions such as “what’s wrong?” or “what happened?”

A

chief complaint

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12
Q

to form a clot to plug an opening in an injured blood vessel and stop bleeding

A

coagulate

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13
Q

Capnometer or end-tidal carbon dioxide detectors are devices that use a chemical reaction to detect the amount of carbon dioxide present in expired gases by changing colors (qualitative measurement rather than quantitative)

A

colorimetric devices

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14
Q

The delicate membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the exposed surface of the eye

A

conjunctiva

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15
Q

A grating or grinding sensation caused by fractured bone ends or joints rubbing together; also air bubbles under the skin that produce a crackling sound or crinkly feeling

A

crepitus

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16
Q

a bluish gray skin color that is caused by a reduced level of oxygen in the blood

A

cyanosis

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17
Q

A mneumonic for assessment in which each area of the body is evaluated for Deformities, Contusions, Abrasions, Punctures/penitrations, Burns, Tenderness, Lacerations, and Swelling

A

DCAP-BTLS

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18
Q

Characterized by profuse sweating

A

diaphoretic

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19
Q

The pressure that remains in the arteries during the relaxing phase of the heart’s cycle (diastole) when the left ventricle is at rest

A

diastolic pressure

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20
Q

the amount of carbon dioxide present in exhaled breath

A

end-tidal CO2

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21
Q

A type of physical assessment that is typically performed on patients who have sustained non-significant mechanisms of injury or on responsive medical patients. This type of examination is based on the chief complaint and focuses on one body system or part.

A

focused assessment

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22
Q

damage to tissues as the result of exposure to cold; frozen or partially frozen body parts

A

frostbite

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23
Q

A systematic head-to-toe examination that is performed during the secondary assessment on a patient who has sustained a significant mechanism of injury, is unconscious, or is in critical condition

A

full-body scan

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24
Q

The overall initial impression that determines the priority for patient care; based on the patient’s surroundings, the mechanism of injury, signs and symptoms, and the chief complaint

A

general impression

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25
Q

The time from injury to definitive care, during which treatment of shock and traumatic injuries should occur because survival potential is best

A

Golden Period

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26
Q

Involuntary muscle contractions (spasms) of the abdominal wall in an effort to protect an inflamed abdomen; a sign of peritonitis

A

guarding

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27
Q

A step within the patient assessment process that provides detail about the patient’s chief complaint and an account of the patient’s signs and symptoms

A

history taking

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28
Q

blood pressure that is higher than the normal range

A

hypertension

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29
Q

blood pressure that is lower than the normal range

A

hypotension

30
Q

A condition in which the internal body temperature falls below 95 degrees Fahrenheit after exposure to a cold environment

A

hypothermia

31
Q

A system implemented to manage disasters and mass- and multiple-casualty incidents in which section chiefs, including finance, logistics, operations, and planning, report to the incident commander.

A

incident command system

32
Q

yellow skin or sclera that is caused by liver disease or dysfunction

A

jaundice

33
Q

breathing that requires visibly increased effort; characterized by grunting, stridor, and use of accessory muscles

A

labored breathing

34
Q

The way in which traumatic injuries occur; the forces that act on the body to cause damage.

A

Mechanism of Injury (MOI)

35
Q

flaring out of the nostrils, indicating that there is an airway obstruction

A

nasal flaring

36
Q

The general type of illness a patient is experiencing

A

nature of illness (NOI)

37
Q

An abbreviation for key terms used in evaluating a patient’s pain: Onset, Provocation or Pallition, Quality, Region/radiation, Severity, and Timing of pain

A

OPQRST

38
Q

The mental status of a patient as measured by memory of the person (name), place (current location), time (current year, month, and approximate date), and event (what happened)

A

orientation

39
Q

to examine by touch

A

palpate

40
Q

The motion of the chest wall section that is detached in a flail chest; the motion is exactly the opposite of normal motion during breathing (ie, in during inhalation, out during exhalation)

A

paradoxical motion

41
Q

circulation of blood within an organ or tissue

A

perfusion

42
Q

Clothing or specialized equipment that provides protection to the wearer

A

personal protective equipment (PPE)

43
Q

Negative findings that warrant no care or intervention

A

pertinent negatives

44
Q

A step within the patient assessment process that identifies and initiates treatment of immediate and potential life threats

A

primary assessment

45
Q

the pressure wave that occurs as each heartbeat causes a surge in the blood circulating through the arteries.

A

pulse

46
Q

An assessment tool that measures oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in the capillary beds

A

pulse oximetry

47
Q

A crackling, rattling breath sound that signals fluid in the air spaces of the lungs; also called crackles

A

rales

48
Q

A step within the patient assessment process that is performed at regular intervals during the assessment process. Its purpose is to identify and treat changes in a patient’s condition. A patient in unstable condition should be reassessed every 5 minutes, whereas a patient in stable condition should be reassessed every 15 minutes

A

reassessment

49
Q

The way in which a patient responds to external stimuli, including verbal stimuli (sound), tactile stimuli (touch), and painful stimuli

A

responsiveness

50
Q

Movements in which the skin pulls in around the ribs during inspiration

A

retractions

51
Q

Coarse, low-pitched breath sounds heard in patients with chronic mucus in the upper airways

A

rhonchi

52
Q

A brief history of a patient’s condition to determine signs and symptoms, allergies, medications, pertinent past history, last oral intake, and events leading to the injury or illness

A

SAMPLE history

53
Q

A step within the patient assessment process that involves a quick assessment of the scene and the surroundings to provide information about scene safety and the mechanism of injury or nature of illness before you enter and begin patient care

A

scene size-up

54
Q

The white portion of the eye; the tough outer coat that gives protection to the delicate, light-sensitive inner layer

A

sclera

55
Q

A step within the patient assessment process in which a systematic physical examination of the patient is performed. The examination maybe a systematic full-body scan or a systematic assessment that focuses on a certain area or region of the body, often determined through the chief complaint.

A

secondary assessment

56
Q

Respirations that are categorized by little movement of the chest wall (reduced tidal volume) or poor chest excursion

A

shallow respirations

57
Q

objective findings that can be seen, heard, felt, smelled, or measured.

A

sign

58
Q

An upright position in which the patient’s head and chin are thrust slightly forward to keep the airway open

A

sniffing position

59
Q

Breathing that occurs with no assistance

A

spontaneous respirations

60
Q

Protective measures that have traditionally been developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for use in dealing with objects, blood, bodily fluids, and other potential exposure risks of communicable disease

A

standard precautions

61
Q

A harsh, high-pitched, crowing inspiratory sound, such as the sound often heard in acute laryngeal (upper airway) obstruction; may sound like crowing and be audible without a stethoscope

A

stridor

62
Q

The presence of air in soft tissues, causing a characteristic crackling sensation on palpation

A

subcutaneous emphysema

63
Q

subjective findings that the patient feels but that can be identified only by the patient.

A

symptom

64
Q

The increased pressure in an artery with each contraction of the ventricles (systole).

A

systolic pressure

65
Q

A rapid heart rate, more than 100 beats/min

A

tachycardia

66
Q

The amount of air (in milliliters) that is moved in or out of the lings during one breath

A

tidal volume

67
Q

The process of establishing treatment and transportation priorities according to severity of injury and medical need

A

triage

68
Q

An upright position in which the patient leans forward onto two arms stretched forward and thrusts the head and chin forward

A

tripod position

69
Q

A severe breathing problem in which a patient can speak only two to three words at a time without pausing to take a breath

A

two- to three-word dyspnea

70
Q

narrowing of a blood vessel

A

vasoconstriction

71
Q

The key signs that are used to evaluate the patient’s overall condition, including respirations, pulse, blood pressure, level of consciousness, and skin characteristics

A

vital signs

EMS-"Vital Vocabulary" (39 decks)

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