emt ch 12 Flashcards
the first element in a patient assessment ?
primary assessment
when you are trying to discover and treat life threatening problems
primary assessment
forming a general impression, assessing mental status, assessing airway, assessing breathing , assessing circulation, and determining the priority of the patient for treatment and transport
primary assessment
someone who appears lifeless and has no pulse you would assess in what order?
c-a-b
actions taken to correct or manage a patients problem
interventions
impression of the patients condition that is formed on 1st approaching the patient ,based on the patients environment, chief complaint, and appearance
general impression
if a patient is pulseless and unresponsive you should?
do cpr and apply AED or defibrillator
if a patient is responsive you should stop bleeding and treat for _____
shock
if a patient is _____ you would go at a slower pace, more detailed secondary assessment
stable
if a patient is _____ you would expedite transport, fewer assessments and interventions on scene
potentially unstable
if a patient is ____ you would rapid transport, only life saving assessment and interventions on scene
unstable
emt’s use these to identify if someone is critical?
1.) patients who appear lifeless 2.) patients who have an obvious altered mental status 3.) patients who appear unusually anxious and those who appear pale and sweaty 4.) obvious trauma to the head , chest, abdomen, or pelvis 5.) specific positions indicate distress
anxiety, pale, sweaty, rapid pulse and respiratory rates are signs of______
shock
_____ is a sign that indicates significant chest pain or discomfort
levines sign
when you see the tripod position or the levines position these indicate 2 things
1.) the level of chest discomfort or respiratory distress is severe 2.) the patients complaint are among the most serious medical complaints indicating a high priority
in emergency medicine the reason ems was called usually in the patients own words
chief complaint
you form a general impression by looking ____, and _______
listening and smelling
judgment based on experience in observing and treating patients
clinical judgment
level of responsiveness
mental status
a memory aid for classifying a patients level of responsiveness or mental status
AVPU
AVPU stand for what
a= alert, v= verbal response, p= painful response, u= unresponsive
a patients mental status can be described by asking what 3 things?
person, place, event and time
2 purposes of the primary assessment are
1.) identifying and correcting life threats with airway,breathing and circulation 2.) gather information that will help you later on in your assessment
4 general situations that call for assistance with breathing are
1.) if the patient is in respiratory arrest with a pulse 2.) if the patient is not alert and his breathing is inadequate 3.) if the patient has some level of alertness and his breathing is inadequate 4.) if the patients breathing is adequate but there are signs or symptoms suggesting respiratory distress or hypoxia