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UCLA EMT > Environmental Emergencies > Flashcards

Environmental Emergencies Flashcards

1
Q

What is thermolysis?

A

heat loss

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2
Q

What is radiation?

A

loss of heat directly into a colder environment

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3
Q

What is convection?

A

transfer of heat through circulating air

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4
Q

What is conduction?

A

transfer of heat from body to colder object

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5
Q

What is evaporation?

A

cooling of body through sweating

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6
Q

What is respiration?

A

body heat loss during breathing

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7
Q

What is hypothermia?

A

heat loss exceeds heat gain

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8
Q

What is the body core temperature of someone who is hypothermic?

A

low

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9
Q

What is hyperthermia?

A

heat gained exceeds heat loss

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10
Q

What is the body core temperature of someone who is hyperthermic?

A

high

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11
Q

What is frost nip?

A

freezing of the skin (superficial dermis) but not deeper surface

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12
Q

What is a frost bite?

A

freezing of a body part

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13
Q

What is trench foot (immersion)?

A

results from prolonged exposure to cold water

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14
Q

What begins to develop over a frostbite injury after 5 days of onset?

A

necrotic skin

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15
Q

What are the 5 things that you must do for a person who has a local cold injury?

A

remove from cold environment | handle injured part gently | give warm/humidified O2 | remove any wet/restricting clothing

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16
Q

When can we rewarm a patient?

A

patient is conscious and responding appropriately

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17
Q

What temperature range is considered to be mild hypothermia?

A

96-93 F

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18
Q

What temperature range is considered to be moderate hypothermia? What will begin to develop in moderate hypothermic patients?

A

93-86 F | changes in LOC

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19
Q

What temperature range is considered to be severe hypothermia? What will begin to develop in severe hypothermic patients?

A

below 86F | systemic issues

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20
Q

What are significant signs and symptoms of someone who is hypothermic?

A

cold skin | bradycardic | bradypnea | weak pulse | hypotensive | MAY appear dead

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21
Q

What is a sign/symptom that occurs in moderate-severe hypothermic patients?

A

joint/muscle stiffness

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22
Q

What skin signs will you see on a hypothermic patient?

A

red, pale or bluish skin

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23
Q

How do we rewarm conscious hypothermic patients?

A

with ambulance heater on 86 F and occasionally hot packs

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24
Q

How can we rewarm unconscious patients?

A

passively via ambulance heater on 86F

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25
Q

For an unconscious hypothermic patients, what must we do before staring CPR if they do NOT have a palpable pulse? Why?

A

check pulse for 30-45 seconds as they are extremely bradycardic

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26
Q

What are the 3 types of heat emergencies?

A

heat cramps | heat stroke | heat exhaustion

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27
Q

What are heat cramps?

A

muscle spasms of legs and abdomen

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28
Q

What are heat cramps due to?

A

inadequate salt intake

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29
Q

Signs and symptoms of heat cramps?

A

muscle spasms/cramping

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30
Q

What are the 4 things you must do to treat heat cramps?

A

remove patient from hot environment | rest cramping muscle | replace fluids orally (electrolyte beverage) | transport if needed

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31
Q

What causes heat exhaustion?

A

exercising in hot environment or at rest in a hot environment and or exposed to hot, humid, poorly ventilated areas

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32
Q

5 Signs and Symptoms of heat exhaustion.

A

headache | nausea | weakness | dizziness | syncope

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33
Q

Skin signs of a person suffering from heat exhaustion.

A

warm, cool, moist or flushed skin

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34
Q

How do you treat someone who is suffering from heat exhaustion? (6 ways)

A

remove patient from hot environment | O2 prn | loosen tight clothing | position supine | fan/cool patient | transport

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35
Q

Signs and Symptoms of a Heat Stroke.

A

ALOC | seizures | hot, dry, flushed skin (can be moist)

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36
Q

What is happening to the body in a patient suffering from a heat stroke?

A

body lost ability to compensate

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37
Q

If a patient is suffering from a heat stroke triggered via exertion, what must you assume?

A

other factors as environment may not be the primary factor

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38
Q

How do you treat someone who is suffering from a heat stroke? (7 ways)

A

remove patient from heat environment | high-flow O2 | provide air conditioning at high setting and aggressively fan patient | remove patient’s clothing | apply cold packs | shock position prn | transport

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39
Q

Where do you apply cold or hot packs on a patient? (3 areas)

A

neck, armpits and groin

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40
Q

What is “drowning”?

A

death as a result of suffocation after submersion in water

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41
Q

What is “near-drowning”?

A

survival, or temporary survival, after suffocation in water

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42
Q

What are the 6 steps of the drowning process?

A

something goes wrong | panic | inefficient breathing | decreased buoyancy | exhaustion | cardiac/respiratory arrest

43
Q

What is an involuntary gasp?

A

aspiration of water into the hypopharynx

44
Q

What is laryngospasm?

A

water hits your larynx

45
Q

What is dry drowning?

A

drowning secondary to airway spasm

46
Q

What is wet drowning?

A

drowning secondary to aspiration and airway filled with water

47
Q

What is “secondary drowning”?

A

pulmonary edema secondary to aspiration of water

48
Q

What is shallow water drowning?

A

loss of stimulus to breathe

49
Q

What is the treatment for near drowning?

A

use spinal precautions | ABC treatments (O2, suction, CPR) | transport

50
Q

What 4 cases would you suspect a spinal injury in submersion incidents?

A

submersion due to diving accident/long fall | patient is unconscious | complains of weakness, paralysis, or numbness | your own suspicion

51
Q

What is a descent problem in diving incidents?

A

due to sudden increase of pressure on the body as person dives

52
Q

What is an ascent problem in diving invcidents?

A

air embolism and/or decompression sickness

53
Q

What is Air Embolism?

A

air bubble present in vasculature system that acts like a clot but moves around

54
Q

Signs and Symptoms of an Air Embolism.

A

RAPID onset | severe muscle/joint pain | dyspnea | chest pain | dysphasia | paralysis/coma | irregular pulse/cardiac arrest

55
Q

What is dysphasia?

A

difficulty swallowing

56
Q

What is Decompression Sickness? (The Bends)

A

air bubbles obstruct blood vessels

57
Q

How does decompression sickness pathologically occur?

A

pressure causes air gases to detach from RBC = released into the blood vessel = air pockets

58
Q

Signs and Symptoms of Decompression Sickness.

A

abdominal pain | joint pain | SLOW onset | ataxia | dysarthria | vertigo

59
Q

What is ataxia?

A

impaired coordination

60
Q

What is dysarthria?

A

slurred speech

61
Q

What is the treatment for diving emergencies?

A

ABCs and poisitoning, calling ALS

62
Q

What is the positioning for a diving emergency?

A

left lateral OR supine

63
Q

What are you concerned about with a patient who got struck by lightning?

A

electrical conduction of their heart

64
Q

How do we remove a stinger from a bee, hornet, or a wasp?

A

with a dull edge such as a credit card

65
Q

What is anaphylaxis due to?

A

body’s reaction to foreign bodies

66
Q

What is the pathophysiology of anaphylaxis?

A

histamine is released and causes vasodilation and bronchospasm

67
Q

Signs and Symptoms of anaphylaxis.

A

LOC | hives (urticaria) | tongue swelling | difficulty swallowing | rapid swelling of throat tissues

68
Q

How does vasodilation trigger swelling of the upper airway structures?

A

opening blood vessels = empties fluids into tissues = systematic swelling and bronchospasm occur

69
Q

What are the 3 stages of an allergic reaction?

A

urticaria | respiratory distress | Shock

70
Q

How can we treat an allergy emergency or anaphylaxis emergency?

A

ABCs | EpiPen | treat for shock

71
Q

What are the 2 types of venomous spiders to commonly bite humans?

A

brown recluse and black widow

72
Q

Which spider releases neurotoxins?

A

black widow

73
Q

Which spider releases necrotoxins?

A

brown recluse

74
Q

What are necrotoxins?

A

hemolytic, dissolves tissues and blood so spider can quickly suck it out of your body

75
Q

On what parts of the body do snakes commonly bite?

A

hands and feet

76
Q

What are the 4 common poisonous snakes in the US?

A

rattlesnakes | copperheads | coral snakes | cottonmouth

77
Q

What snakes are considered pit vipers?

A

rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and copper heads

78
Q

What are pit vipers?

A

snakes that release venom via injection from fangs

79
Q

What type of venom do pit vipers inject? How does it affect patient?

A

necrotoxin | not fatal, can destroy extermities

80
Q

What kind of venom do coral snakes inject? How does it affect patient?

A

neurotoxin | paralysis of nervous system

81
Q

How to treat snake bites? (4 ways)

A

splint extremity | demarcate wound and note time | position supine | transport

82
Q

In what position would you splint an upper extremity that has a snake bite?

A

place at or below the level of the heart

83
Q

What type of venom do scorpions inject?

A

neurotoxins

84
Q

How would you remove the tick?

A

using fine tweezers = grasp tick by body = pull it straight out of the skin

85
Q

What is the onset of symptoms for Rocky Mountain Fever?

A

7-10 days after bite

86
Q

Signs and Symptoms of Rocky Mountain Fever.

A

N/V | paralysis | HA | weakness | cardiorespiratory collapse

87
Q

What is the onset of symptoms for Lyme Disease?

A

few days to weeks after bite

88
Q

Significant Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease?

A

joint swelling (knees); can be confused with rheumatoid arthritis

89
Q

How to treat dog and human bites?

A

immobilize and dress wound

90
Q

Significant Signs and Symptoms of Marine Stings.

A

painful reddish lesions

91
Q

How to treat marine animal stings? (5 ways)

A

limit further discharge | inactive nematocysts | remove remaining tentacles | monitor for anaphylaxis | transport

92
Q

How would you limit further discharge of an extremity that has a marine animal sting?

A

minimize patient movement

93
Q

How would you inactivate nematocysts?

A

apply rubbing alcohol or immerse the part in warm water

94
Q

How would you remove the remaining tentacles?

A

scraping them off

95
Q

How would you treat envenomation wounds?

A

soaking wound in hot water for 20+ mins

96
Q

What are the 4 types of crises seen in individuals with Sickle Cell Anemia?

A

vaso-occlusive crisis | aplastic crisis | hemolytic crisis | splenic sequestration crisis

97
Q

What is a vaso-occlusive crisis?

A

blood flow to organs is restricted

98
Q

What is an aplastic crisis?

A

worsenign of baseline anemia

99
Q

What is a hemolytic crisis?

A

acute accelerated drop in Hb levels due to change in cell shape

100
Q

What is a splenic sequestration crisis?

A

acute enlargement of spleen as RBCs are trapped in spleen

101
Q

What is thrombosis?

A

blood clot in blood vessels

102
Q

What is thrombophilia?

A

tendency to develop blood clots

103
Q

What is hemophilia?

A

tendency to bleed = cannot form blood clots

UCLA EMT (10 decks)

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