Mod 3 Flashcards
close-ended question
questions with yes/no answers
crepitation
sound or feeling of broken bones rubbing together
detailed physical exam (DPE)
head to toe exam
diagnosis
label for patients
differential diagnosis
list of potential diagnosis
distention
stretched, inflated, or larger than normal
history of present illness (HPI)
information regarding the patients current condition
jugular vein distention (JVD)
bulging of the neck vein
medical patient
patient with one or more conditions/disease
open-ended question
requires more than yes/no
OPQRST
onset, provocation, quality, radiaton, severity, time
paradoxical motion
one side moves without the other
past medical history (PMH)
information regarding the patients past
priapism
persistent erection caused by spinal injury or medical problems
rapid truama assessment
a rapid assessment from head to toe to detect signs and symptoms of injury
reassessment
detecting changes in the patients condition
SAMPLE
symptoms, allergies, medicine, past history, last oral intake, events
sign
something you can see on the patient
stoma
permanent opening in the neck
symptom
something the patient tells you
tracheostomy
surgical incision held open by a metal or plastic tube
trauma patient
patient suffering from one or more physical injuries
trending
changes in a patients condition of time
orthopnea
shortness of breath that only happens when you lie down
components of the secondary assessment
physical examination, patient history, vital signs
what is physical examination
use sense to examine patient
what is HPI?
history of present illness
what is PMH?
psst medical history
what vital signs do you take?
pulse, respiration, blood pressure, pulse oximetry, skin (color, temp, and condition) and pupils
physical examination techniques
observe, auscultate, palpate
observe
looking at the patient for an overall sense of condition
auscultate
listening for signs of abnormal condition
palpate
feeling the area for deformities and abnormal findings
respiratory assessment history
dyspnea on exertion, weight gain, orthopnea, sleep on pillows, have a cough
dyspnea on exertion
difficult to catch breath after exertion
orthopnea
difficulty breathing when laying down
what to check in respiratory exam
pedal and sacral edema, lung sounds, pulse oximetry
respiratory specific history
dyspnea on exertion, orthopnea, weight gain
cardiovascular exam
check pulse (presence/rate/regularity), skin color/ temperature/condition) blood pressure, orthostatic blood pressure changes, JVD
neurological exam
use Cincinnati prehospital stroke scale (or other approved), pupils, monitoring mental status changes over time
endocrine exam
blood glucose, skin color/temperature/conditions, breath odors, excessive hunger, thirst, or urination, pupils, monitoring mental status changes over time
diabetic specific history
oral intake, medication history/use, recent illness
GI/GU (gastrointestinal/urinal)
palpation of abdominal quadrants
GI/GU specific history
input/output amount and frequency, question/observe for bright red/digested blood in vomit, stool, or urine
base station
two-way radio at a fixed site such as a hospital or dispatch center.
cell phone
phone that transmits through the air instead of over wires so the phone can be transported and used over a wide area.
drop report (or transfer report)
an abbreviated form of the PCR that means an EMS crew can leave at the hospital when there is not enough time to complete the PCR before leaving.
mobile radio
two-way radio that is used/affixed in a vehicle.
portable radio
handheld two-way radio.
repeater
device that picks up signals from lower power radio units such as mobile and portable radios and retransmits them at a higher power. Allows low power radio signals to be transmitted over longer distances.
telemetry
process of sending and receiving data wirelessly.
watt
unit of measurement of the output power of a radio.
blunt-force trauma
injury caused by a blow that does not penetrate the skin.
danger zone
the area around a wreckage of a vehicle collision or other incident within which special safety precautions should be taken.
index of suspicion
awareness that there may be injuries.
mechanism of injury
a force/forces that may have caused injury.
nature of the illness
what is medically wrong with a patient.
penetrating trauma
injury caused by an object that passes through the skin or other body tissues.
scene size-up
steps approaching emergency scene, check safety, take precautions, noting the mechanism of injury of nature of the patient’s illness, how many patients, and see if need to call for additional help.
ABCs
airway, breathing, and circulation.
AVPU
a memory aid for classifying a patient’s level of responsiveness or mental status. (it stands for alert, verbal response, painful response, and unresponsive.
chief complaint
in emergency medicine, the reasons EMS was called, usually in the patient’s own words.
general impression
impression of the patient’s conditions that’s formed on first approaching the patient, based on the patient’s environment, chief complaint, and appearance.
interventions
actions taken to correct a patient’s problems.
mental status
level of responsiveness.
primary assessment
first element in P.A., steps taken to discover and deal with any life threat. probs. 6 parts are, 1. form a gen. impression. 2.assess mental status. 3. assess airway. 4. assess breathing. 5. assess circulation. 6. determine priority of patient for treatment and transport to hospital.
priority
decision regarding the need for immediate transport of patient versus further assessment and care at the scene.
auscultation
listening with a stethoscope for certain sounds.
blood pressure
the force of blood against walls of blood vessels.
blood pressure monitor
machine that inflates blood pressure cuff and measures blood pressure.
brachial artery
the major artery of the arm.
brachial pulse
the pulse felt in the upper arm.
bradycardia
slow pulse; any pulse below 60 beats per min.
carotid pulse
the pulse felt along the large carotid artery on either side of neck.
constrict
get smaller.
diastolic blood pressure
the pressure remaining in arteries when left ventricle of the heart is relaxed and refilling.
dilate
get larger.
oxygen saturation (SpO2)
ratio of the amount of oxygen present in blood to the amount that could be carried, expressed as a percentage.
palpation
touching/ feeling. a pulse of blood pressure can be palpated with the fingertips.
pulse
rhythmic beats felt as heart pumps blood through arteries.
pulse oximeter
an electronic device to determine the amount of oxygen carried in the blood, known as SpO2, or oxygen saturation.
pulse quality
rhythm (reg. or irreg.) and force (strong or weak) of the pulse.
pulse rate
the number of pulse beats per min. above 120 and below 50 is a serious finding
pupil
black center of eye
radial pulse
the pulse felt at the wrist.
reactivity
the pupils of the eyes reacting to light by changing size.
respiration
breathing in and out
respiratory quality
the normal or abnormal character of breathing. (shallow, labored, or noisy)
respiratory rate
number of breaths taken per min. classified as normal, rapid, or slow. 12-20 for adults
respiratory rhythm
the reg. or irreg. spacing of breaths.
sphygmomanometer
the cuff and gauge used to measure blood pressure.
systolic blood pressure
the pressure created when the heart contracts and forces blood out into arteries.
tachycardia
a rapid pulse; any pulse above 100 beats per min.
vital signs
outward signs of what is going on inside the body, including respiration; pulse skin color, temp, and condition (plus capillary refill in infants and children); pupils; and blood pressure.
BSI
body substance isolation
PPE
personal protective equipment
important factors in falls
height, surface, part, interupted
safe height for falls
adult: 20ft 15 years and younger: more than 10ft, (2 to 3 times childs height)
types of penetrating truama
low-velocity (knife)
medium-velocity (hand/shotgun)
high-velocity (rifle)
primary assessment focus
life threats to ABC: airway, breathing, circulation
ABC order
ABC for signs of life
CAB for appears lifeless
positions that indicate stress
Tripod position
Levine’s sign
CTC
skin color, temperature, and condition
baseline vital signs
first vital signs obtained
repeat vital signs
gain further information by establishing trends
pulse locations
radial, brachial, carotid arteries
categories of respiratory quality
normal, shallow, labored, noisy
PERRL
Pupils Equal, Round, and Reactive to Light
