Final Exam Material Flashcards
(“C”)
Assessments
- Need for CPR
2. Uncontrolled Bleeding
(“C”)
Interventions
- Start CPR
2. Control Bleeding
A
Assessments
Airway and C-SPine
- Look, listen, feel for air movement
- Clarity of speech
- Patency vs. obstruction (stridor, wheezing ..)
- AVPU
- C-spine injury
A
Interventions
Airway and C-Spine
- Suctioning
- Oral or nasopharyngeal airway
- Jaw thrust / chin lift
- Advanced airway
- C-spine immobilization
B
Assessments
Breathing
- Rate, effort, and quality of resps (diminished, WOB, nasal flaring)
- Auscultate lungs
- Skin colour
- Level of consciousness
B
Interventions
Breathing
- Assist ventilations (BMV / ventilator)
- Pulse oximeter
- Supplemental oxygen
C
Assessments
Circulation
- Skin: colour, temperature, moisture
- Capillary refill time
- Palpate pulses (quality, rate, rhythm)
- Chest pain: yes / no
C
Interventions
Circulation
- Initiate IV
- Resuscitative fluids
- Cardiac monitor
- 12 lead ECG
D
Assessments
Disability / Dextrose / Doctor / Discomfort
- Re-assess AVPU
- GCS
- Stroke scale
- Pupils (PERLA)
- Dextrose
- Barriers to assessment: pain, vomiting
- Need for physician (LOU)
D
Interventions
Disability / Dextrose / Doctor / Discomfort
- Pain management / anti-emetic
- Notify physician / specialist
E
Assessments
Expose
1. Bruising, wounds, skin temp and colour changes
E
Interventions
Expose
- Gown and blanket
- Active warming procedures
F
Assessments
Full set of VS / Family Presence
- Full set of vital signs
- Presence of family / notify family
F
Interventions
Full set of VS / Family Presence
1. Facilitate family presence
G
Assessments
Go Back and Re-assess
1. If necessary, go back and re-assess
G
Interventions
Go Back and Re-assess
- Re-assess A-F
- Are applied interventions working?
What are the components of the primary assessment?
- CPR / Uncontrolled bleeding
- Airway and C-spine
- Breathing
- Circulation
- Disability / Dextrose / Doctor / Discomfort
- Expose
- Full set of VS / Family Presence
- Go back and re-assess
What are the main components of the secondary assessment?
- Subjective history
- Objective history (head to toe examination)
- Focused system assessment
When do you ask LOTARP?
Secondary assessment
What specifics do you ask in the secondary assessment?
- Allergies
- Medications
- PMHx
- Last meal
- Risk behaviours (smoking, ETOH, drugs)
- Biographical information
J
Considerations
Journey
1. Disposition, movement, and treatment
2. Where might the patient need to go next?
(Lab work, imaging, OR, tubes and lines, discharge, teaching, equipment)
What is the normal range for pH?
7.35 - 7.45
( < 7.35 = acidosis)
( > 7.45 = alkalosis)
What is the normal range for pCO2?
35 - 45
( < 35 = alkalosis)
( > 45) = acidosis
What is the normal range for HCO3?
22 - 26
( < 22 = acidosis)
( > 26 = alkalosis)
What qualifies pO2 as mild, moderate, or severe?
Mild = 60 - 79
Moderate = 40 - 59
Severe = < 40
* This is NOT oxygen saturation!
What is the definition of a stable patient?
NORMAL clinical findings and a history that is not life or limb threatening
What is the definition of an unstable patient?
ABNORMAL clinical findings and a history that IS considered life or limb threatening
What is the definition of a potentially unstable patient?
NORMAL clinical findings but history warrants concern and ongoing observation
What does CTAS Level I mean?
Resuscitation
- time = immediate
- conditions that are threats to life or limb, requiring aggressive interventions
What does CTAS Level II mean?
Emergent
- time = < 15 minutes
- conditions that are potential threat to life, limb or function
- require rapid medical interventions
What does CTAS Level III mean?
Urgent
- time = < 30 minutes
- conditions that could potentially progress to a serious problem
- associated with significant discomfort or affecting ADLs
What does CTAS Level IV mean?
Less Urgent
- time = < 60 minutes
- conditions related to pt age, distress, or potential for deterioration or complications
- would benefit from interventions within 1-2 hours
What does CTAS Level V mean?
Non-Urgent
- time = < 120 minutes
- conditions that may be acute but non-urgent
What are three types of visceral pain?
- Tension pain
- Inflammatory pain
- Ischemic pain
How will a pt describe tension pain?
- Vague, deep, and poorly localized
Pt will frequently change positions to get comfortable
How will a pt describe inflammatory pain?
- INITIALLY vague, deep and poorly localized but pain will increase in severity and localize
Pt will remain STILL
How will a pt describe ischemic pain?
Sudden in onset, intensity, continuous, and progressive
- Not relieved with analgesia
- Vomiting may occur
What does AVPU stand for?
Alert
Verbal
Painful
Unresponsive
What is AVPU used for?
To determine the need and type of intervention required
- if the patient is not alert, the airway may be compromised and interventions must be considered
What does SpO2 measure?
The percentage of hemoglobin saturated with oxygen
- helps to determine hypoxia
What does PERLA stand for?
Pupils equal and reactive to light and accommodation
What should be done next if AVPU is found to be abnormal?
GCS
- best eye response
- best verbal response
- best motor response
What is the earliest sign of decreased cerebral perfusion?
Altered LOC
If a CVA is suspected, what should be performed under “D”?
Rapid stroke assessment
- Face (is it drooping)
- Arms (can you raise both)
- Speech (slurred or jumbled)
- Time (get help asap)
True or False:
Hypoglycemia is a frequent cause of altered LOC
True
What constitutes a full set of vital signs?
HR, BP, Temp, RR, O2
What are postural vital signs?
Measuring BP and HR in successive positions
- from lying supine, to sitting, to standing
Why are postural vital signs important?
Gives an indication of compensatory mechanism (vasoconstriction)
- information about a patient’s volume status
What is the most significant change in postural vital signs?
HR
- increase in 20 bpm
True or False:
ED assessments do not have to be completed sequentially
False
- primary assessment MUST be completed before moving on to the secondary assessment
What are the four stages of clinical reasoning?
- Attending to initially available cues (subjective and objective)
- Generating tentative hypotheses
- Gathering data to rule in or out tentative hypotheses
- Evaluating hypotheses and gathering additional data
What is a pertinent negative?
Ruling out data
- what symptoms does the patient deny?
What tool will you use to gather information on the history of the present illness?
LOTARP!
- of the PROBLEM, not pain
What does LOTARP stand for?
L = Location O = Onset T = Timing / Type A = Associated symptoms / Aggravating and alleviating factors R = radiation P = Precipitating events
What does CIAMPEDS stand for?
C = Chief complaint I = Immunizations / Isolation A = Allergies M = Medications P = PMHx / Parent Perception E = Events surrounding illness D = Diet / Diapers S = Symptoms associated with illness
When do you perform a review of systems (ROS)?
In adults? In children?
ROS should be used within LOTARP and CIAMPEDS
Adults = A
Children = S
Why do you perform a review of systems (ROS)?
Organized approach to rule IN or OUT hypotheses about causes for chief complaint
- GI, GU, GYNE, Musculoskeletal, Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Neurological
When does a focused system assessment take place?
After completing:
- Primary survey
- Subjective history
- Objective assessments
What are the components of a neurological assessment?
- GCS
- PERLA
- ROM
- Limb strength and equality
- Presence of drift
What are the components of a cardiovascular assessment?
- CWMS
- Edema
- Pulses (rate, equality, quality)
- BP
- HR, rhythm, and heart sounds
- LOC
What are the components of a respiratory assessment?
- Orientation
- CWMS
- Cough?
- SOB / WOB
- Breath sounds (adventitious, normal, diminished)
- Symmetry
- Tracheal tugging
- Injury
What are the components of an abdominal assessment?
- Bowel sounds
- Tenderness in quadrants
- Injury / trauma
- Masses / pulsations / herniations
- Symmetry
What needs to be included in ED documentation?
- Chief complaint
- History leading to admission
- On arrival (what the nurse sees)
What are the three ways the body compensates for acid-base imbalances?
- Chemical buffering
- Respiratory compensation
- Renal buffering
What is chemical buffering?
Takes place at the cellular level
- H+ or HCO3 molecules are either accepted or released by the cells to balance pH in the blood
- occurs within seconds
What is respiratory compensation?
Increasing or decreasing RR in response to CO2 levels
- respiratory centre in medulla is sensitive to changes in pH
- occurs within seconds to minutes
What is renal buffering?
Kidneys eliminate ether acids or bases as needed
- also control HCO3 by either reabsorbing or excreting H+ ions
- occurs within hours to days
- has stamina and is effective
Why are the respiratory and renal buffering systems not as effective in the elderly?
Gas exchange, alveolar membrane size, and renal function naturally decline with age
- acid-base imbalances are harder to correct in elderly
What is complete compensation?
Buffers have achieved homeostasis and pH is FULLY corrected!
What is partial compensation?
Buffers are working towards homeostasis
- pH is not fully corrected
What two factors is end-organ perfusion dependent on?
- Oxygen supply
2. Oxygen demand
What are the three main factors that determine oxygen supply?
- Amount of O2 that is present in arterial blood
- Capacity of blood to transport O2 to cells
- Effectiveness of the pump that circulates the blood throughout the body
What does SaO2 represent?
Arterial oxygen content
- calculated in arterial blood gases
- reflects the amount of O2 that is present in the arterial blood when it leaves the lungs