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Emergency Medical Technology > Environmental Emergencies > Flashcards

Environmental Emergencies Flashcards

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Royal College: Emergency Medicine flashcards USMLE® Step 1 flashcards
1
Q

What are the 5 different ways the body can loose heat?

A
  1. Radiation: heat lost from air
  2. Convection: heat lost through the movement of air
  3. Conduction: heat lost from host to solid objects
  4. Evaporation: heat loss through sweating
  5. Respiration: Loss of heat through breathing
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2
Q

When can a patient become hypothermic? Is the onset fast or slow? What must the weather conditions be for a patient to become hypothermic? Who are at the highest risk?

A
  1. When the **body temperature becomes lower than 95*F **(35*C)
  2. It can develop gradually or rapidly
  3. Weather does not have to be freezing
  4. **Elderly patients, infants, ill, or injured **
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3
Q

What are the S/S of mild hypothermia?

A
  • Shivering
  • Rapid pulse and respirations
  • Red, pale cyanotic skin
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4
Q

What are the S/S of severe hypothermia?

A
  • Shivering stops
  • Muscular activity decreases
  • Lethargy/apathy
  • ALOC
  • Bradychardia and hypotension
  • Dilated pupils
  • Eventually All muscular activity stops
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5
Q

What happens when the Core temperature is less than 80*F? What should you never assume about a patient whose core temperature is below 80*F?

A
  • Patient may appear dead(or in coma)
  • Never assume a cold, pulseless patient is dead
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6
Q

What is the treatment for hypothermia?

A
  • Handle gently
  • Remove from environment
  • High flow oxygen
  • Warming measures
  • Ambulance should be heated (86+ degrees)

*Goal is to prevent furthr heat loss*

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7
Q

What are the S/S of frostbite?

A
  • White, cold, hard, waxy skin
  • Painful or painless
  • May have blisters or swelling
  • _Common locations: _
  • feet, hands, nose, ears
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8
Q

What is the treatment for frostbite?

A
  • Remove from cold
  • High flow O2
  • Passive rewarming
  • Do not massage
  • Do not break blisters
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9
Q

What are some heat emergencies?

A
  • Heat cramps
  • Heat exhaustion
  • Heat stroke
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10
Q

What are heat cramps? What are some symptopms?

A
  1. Depletion of body salts
  2. -muscle spasms of leg and abdomen
    - history of exertion with no salt intake
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11
Q

What are the treatments for heat cramps?

A
  • Remove from environment
  • PO isotonic solution (if available)
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12
Q

What is heat exhaustion? what are the symptoms?

A
  1. Dehydration with a loss of salt
  2. Cold, moist, ashen skin
  3. Thirsty
  4. Headaches & nasuea
  5. Weakness, dizziness, syncope
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13
Q

How do you treat heat exhaustion?

A
  • Remove patient from environment
  • Loosen clothing
  • High flow O2
  • Oral fluids (isotonic or water)
  • Position of comfort
  • Transport
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14
Q

What is heat stroke? What are the symptoms?

A
  1. Failure of body’s cooling mechanism
  2. -Hot, dry, flushed skin
    - ALOC
    - Hypotensive - tachycardia
  3. -Seizure
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15
Q

What is the treatment for heat stroke?

A
  • Remove from environment
  • No oral fluids
  • High flow oxygen
  • Cooling measures
  • Shock position PRN
  • Rapid transport
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16
Q

What are possible water accidents?

A
  • Drowning/ near drowning
  • Diving injuries
    -air embolusm
    -bends or decompression sickness
17
Q

What are S/S of Near drowning?

A
  • History of underwater episode
  • Dyspnea
  • Tachypnea
  • Laryngospasms
  • ALOC
  • Apnea & Cyanosis
18
Q

WHat is the treatment for near drowning?

A
  • ABC’s
  • Aggressive suctioning
  • Ventilating with 100% oxygen
  • C-spine precautions
  • Rapid transport

_*Always transport even when patient looks fine as there may be delayed complications*_

19
Q

What causes an air embolism? What are the symptoms?

A
  1. Caused by holding breath while ascending. Air bubbles are forced into blood stream
  2. -Mottled skin
    * *-Froth at nose/mouth
    - Dizziness, headache**
    * *-Confusion or ALOC
    - Chest pain**
    * *-Dyspnea
    - Pain**
    * *-Neuro deficits
    - Cardiac arrest**
20
Q

What is decopmression sickness? What are the symptoms?

A
  1. Formation of nitrogen bubbles in blood stream
  2. -Joint pain
    - Abdominal pain
    - Itching
    - Vertigo, nausea, vomiting
21
Q

How do you treat air embolism and decompression sickness?

A
  • ABC’s
  • High flow oxygen
  • Left lateral trendelenberg
  • Rapid transport
  • Transport to hyperbaric chamber
  • Consider treatment for hypothermia
22
Q
A

Emergency Medical Technology (22 decks)

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