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EMT > Infections Disease > Flashcards

Infections Disease Flashcards

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1
Q

Antibodies

A

Proteins made by the immune system that have a memory for an invading virus and help recognize and destroy future invasions by that virus.

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2
Q

Antibiotic

A

Medicine or drug that is effective in killing bacteria or inhibiting their growth.

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3
Q

Bacteria

A

A single-celled, microscopic organism that can cause damage to the body’s cells. They multiply very quickly by dividing.

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4
Q

BSI

A

An infection control practice that assumes all body substances including blood, urine, saliva, feces, tears, etc., are potentially infectious.

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5
Q

Epidemic

A

An outbreak of a contagious disease that spreads among many individuals in an area or a population at the same time.

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6
Q

MRSA

A

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a type of staphylococcus or “staph” bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics.

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7
Q

Pandemic

A

An outbreak of a contagious disease that affects an entire population over a wide geographical area. A pandemic affects a far higher number of people and a much larger region than an epidemic.

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8
Q

Parasite

A

An organism that grows, feeds, and is sheltered on or in a different organism while contributing nothing to the survival of its host.

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9
Q

Pathogen

A

An agent that causes disease such as a bacterium, virus or fungus.

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10
Q

PPE

A

Specialized clothing or equipment worn for protection against health and safety hazards.

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11
Q

Universal precautions

A

Infection control measures that reduce the risk of transmission of pathogens through exposure to blood or specific body fluids.

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12
Q

Vaccine

A

A preparation of a weakened or disabled virus that stimulates antibody production and provides immunity when injected into the body.

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13
Q

Virus

A

A very small agent made of genetic information (RNA or DNA) surrounded by a protein coat. It cannot reproduce on its own but must take over a living cell to multiply.

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14
Q

To help avoid infection from fluids and airborne particles, you need to wear personal protective equipment or PPE, and _____

A

decontaminate equipment and surfaces after use and wash your hands frequently.

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15
Q

MEGG

A

The Order of donning PPE:

  1. Mask
  2. Eye protection
  3. Gown
  4. Gloves
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16
Q

GGEM

A

To remove PPE, reverse the order that you put it on:

  1. Gloves
  2. Gown -hand washing min 20 sec
  3. Eye protection
  4. Mask -hand washing min 20 sec
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17
Q

After completing a call involving an infectious patient, you must decontaminate everything you touched including:

A 
Equipment that was exposed or cross-contaminated
Outside of kits
Stethoscopes
Radios
AEDs, etc. 
The rig itself
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18
Q

Most common causes of skin infections

A

Staph bacteria

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19
Q

hen patients get MRSA in healthcare facilities, the infections tend to be severe. Common infections include

A

Surgical wound infections, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, and pneumonia

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20
Q

actors associated with the spread of MRSA skin infections include:

A

lose skin-to-skin contact, openings in the skin such as cuts or abrasions, contaminated items and surfaces, crowded living conditions, and poor hygiene.

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21
Q

Occupational Exposure for MRSA

A

Can be spread through contact with pus from an infected wound, skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, and contact with objects such as towels, sheets, or clothing used by an infected person.

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22
Q

Transmission for MRSA

A

Found commonly on human skin, in the nose and throat and, less commonly, in the colon and in urine
Can infect other tissues when skin or mucosal lining have been breached

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23
Q

Prehospital Presentation of MRSA

A

Staph infections, including MRSA, generally start as small red bumps that resemble pimples, boils, or spider bites
Can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses
Can also burrow deep into the body, causing potentially life-threatening infections in bones, joints, surgical wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves, and lungs.

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24
Q

MRSA Prevention includes:

A

Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand rub.
Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.
Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.

25
Q

when you see patients with a cough, particularly with a fever, you should wear:

A

A fitted mask and put a surgical or procedure mask on the patient if they can tolerate it.

26
Q

Transmission of HIV/AIDS

A

Unprotected sex with an infected partner
Infected blood given during a transfusion (extremely rare)
Sharing of needles by IV drug users
An infected mother to her baby
Occupational transmission usually by a needle stick of infected blood

27
Q

Prehospital Presentation of HIV/AIDS

A

HIV/AIDS varies in its presentation depending on which opportunistic disease or infection is acquired:
Dehydration and hypotension secondary to diarrheal diseases
Seizures or altered mental status secondary to a nervous system infection
Dyspnea secondary to a respiratory infection (pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc.)
Medication reactions
End of life issues

28
Q

Prevention of HIV/AIDS

A

The CDC statistics support the claim that HIV is transmitted most effectively through blood. Prevention should therefore be focused on preventing significant blood exposures, specifically needle sticks. If a significant exposure does occur, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may be recommended.

29
Q

Hepatitis C can cause:

A

Cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.

30
Q

Hep C at-risk populations

A

Current or former injection drug users, including those who injected only once many years ago
Recipients of clotting factor concentrates made before 1987, when more advanced methods for manufacturing those products were developed
Recipients of blood transfusions or solid organ transplants before July 1992, when better testing of blood donors became available
Chronic hemodialysis patients
Persons with known exposures to HCV, such as health care workers after needlesticks involving HCV-positive blood recipients of blood or organs from a donor who tested HCV-positive
Persons with HIV infection
Children born to HCV-positive mothers

31
Q

Transmission of HCV

A

Blood and other bodily fluids
Sharing needles with an infected person
Sex with an infected person
From a woman to her baby during birth

32
Q

Prehospital Presentation of HCV

A 
No S/S during its early stages and may produce none for years. If encountered, symptoms may include:
Fever
Fatigue
Dark urine
Clay-colored stool
Abdominal pain
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Vomiting
Joint pain
Jaundice
33
Q

Occupational Risk of HCV

A

After a needlestick or sharps exposure to HCV positive blood, about 2 healthcare workers out of 100 become infected with HCV. Approximately 20% of patients with Hepatitis C will recover completely following treatment with interferon and ribavirin.

34
Q

Prevention of HCV

A

There is no medicine or treatment that can prevent illness after an exposure to hepatitis C.
There is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C.
Do not share personal hygiene items that might get contaminated with blood, such as razors, nail clippers, or toothbrushes.
Cover all cuts and open sores with a bandage.

35
Q

Transmission of HBV

A

Blood and other bodily fluids
Sharing needles with an infected person
Sex with an infected person
From a woman to her baby during birth

36
Q

Prehospital Presentation of HBV

A

S/S of Hepatitis B are mild, it is unlikely that you will be called to respond to an acute illness caused by this virus. However you may on occasion see a patient with end stage liver cancer or other complications from the disease.

37
Q

TB

A

Kills more people today than any other infectious disease. ~ 2 million people a year die from TB worldwide. Tuberculosis is a disease caused by small bacteria that travel from the small airways to the cells of the lungs. Less than 10% of people infected with TB will develop active disease

38
Q

TB is a problem in ____

A

Urban centers.
Active cases in King County in 2010was 5.9 per 100,000. This is one and one half times the national rate of 3.6per 100,000, and the Washington state rate of 3.5

39
Q

People of color have disproportionately high TB rates

A

Highest case rates among Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (48.3cases per 100,000) or black (25.9per 100,000). Black people born outside the U.S. made up 87%of the black cases in King County

40
Q

Transmission of TB

A

Via small airborne particles expelled by cough, sneezing, or speaking
Particles are inhaled into small airways
Prolonged exposure in confined space confers highest risk

41
Q

Prehospital Presentation of TB

A 
S/S of the ACTIVE disease:
Cough, often productive of blood-tinged sputum 
Fatigue and weakness 
Night sweats 
Low-grade fever 
Loss of appetite and weight loss
42
Q

Prevention of TB

A

Maintain a high index of suspicion among patients who are at risk of having TB, and then taking precautions if patients present with suspicious signs and symptoms.

43
Q

Flu season is typically

A

November to April in the northern hemisphere

44
Q

Transmission of Flu

A

Coughed droplets

Touching contaminated surfaces (less common)

45
Q

Prehospital Presentation of Flu

A 
Sudden onset of:
High fever 
Malaise 
Headache 
Dry cough 
Body aches
46
Q

Prevention of Flu

A

Handwashing, clean surfaces
Place mask on patient or ask patient to cover mouth when coughing
Best prevention is the flu vaccine, which must be taken yearly

47
Q

Pandemic Flu

A

Different from the typical strains of flu, humans would have little or no natural resistance to a new strain of influenza
Vaccine for seasonal flu (seasonal), however, there is no vaccine available at this time for a pandemic flu.
It is expected to take at least six months after a pandemic flu appears to develop a vaccine.
Past pandemic flu viruses have been known for their virulence causing rapid death, especially in young people.

48
Q

Pandemic vs. Seasonal Flu

A

Seasonal outbreaks are caused by subtypes of influenza viruses that already circulate among humans. Pandemic outbreaks are caused by new subtypes, subtypes that have never circulated among people or subtypes that have not circulated among people for a long time.

49
Q

Why is risk assessment important

A

Viewing EVERYTHING as equally risky blunts our appreciation for those things that are truly dangerous.
For example, many health care providers wear gloves at all times, and go to great lengths to avoid getting blood on their skin. Yet blood on intact skin poses a small risk, compared to the hazard of getting a needlestick (.3% or 1 in 300).

50
Q

Mask must be ____ in order to be effective

A

Fit tested to your face

51
Q

Reportable exposures happen more often as EMTs encounter situations where

A

body fluids are splashed and spattered.

52
Q

Nitrile gloves

A

You should wear nitrile gloves if you are sensitive to latex or if you are treating a latex-sensitive patient. Usually a patient knows and will inform you about latex sensitivity. Also, nitrile gloves provide more protection from chemicals.

53
Q

In a rescue or extrication environment where the risk of both cut and body substance exposure are present, consider wearing:

A

Latex or nitrile inner gloves and other protective outer gloves.

54
Q

What to do if you get a needlestick

A

Wash the area well with soap and water. Do NOT use bleach or other harsh chemicals. These may damage the skin, making it more likely for the virus to enter the body. Report the exposure immediately to your officer for testing and possible post-exposure prophylaxis (see your department’s guidelines).

55
Q

What to do for exposure on non-intact skin

A

Wash with soap and water
Report the exposure immediately to your officer for testing and possible post-exposure prophylaxis (see your department’s guidelines)

56
Q

What to do for exposure to mucus membranes

A

Flush liberally with water
Report the exposure immediately to your officer for testing and possible post-exposure prophylaxis (see your department’s guidelines)

57
Q

What to do for airborne exposure

A

Report possible exposure to your company officer.
The hospital may notify exposed responders if the patient is diagnosed with an airborne disease (e.g., TB or bacterial meningitis).
Some diseases (bacterial meningitis) may require automatic and immediate post-exposure prophylaxis, while others (tuberculosis) may require post-exposure testing and then treatment only if you become positive.

58
Q

PEP for HIV

A

You must immediately report any possible exposure to a bloodborne disease to your company officer. Your department’s SOPs will give guidance which may include taking post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

59
Q

Medications taken for PEP are TOXIC

A

Most people who take them experience significant side effects ranging from fatigue to nausea and vomiting; in fact, as many as 30% of health care workers who start PEP stop taking the drugs because of the side effects. PEP also carries with it a chance of serious permanent consequences such as liver damage. This is not a decision to be taken lightly!

EMT (25 decks)

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