Study Guide Flashcards
What are the four basic steps of EMS?
Recognizing an emergency exists
Deciding to take action
Activating the EMS system
Giving care until EMS takes over
How to recognize if an emergency exists
Use your senses:
- Obvious: Scream, cry for help, noxious/unusual odor, someone bleeding
- Subtle: slight change in appearance or behavior, unusual silence
Common factors that keep a person from responding to an emergency situation include…
Panic, fear of doing something wrong, being unsure of condition or what to do, assuming someone else will step in, the type of injury or illness, fear of being sued, being unsure of when to call 911.
What is the law that protects a person for liability when they provide emergency care in good faith (w/o being paid)?
The Good Samaritan Law
What to say/ask in order to obtain consent before helping someone.
Your name
Type and level of training
What you think is wrong
What you plan to do
Ask if you may help
What is implied consent?
A minor with not parent or guardian.
Someone who is unresponsive, confused, or mentally impaired
What should you do if a person does not consent to care?
Call 911 and wait with them. Do not give care.
What is PPE?
Personal Protective Equipment
When does the greatest risk of infection occur?
Contact with blood or bodily fluids
Two common types of CPR barriers
Face shield & Pocket mask
What are the 3 basic steps to take in an emergency? (Emergency Action Steps)
CHECK scene & victim
CALL 911 or local emergency number
CARE for the victim until help arrives
Talk to the victim and reassure them using the acronym SAMPLE, which is…
Signs and symtoms
Allergies
Medications
Pertinent medical history
Last food or drink
Events leading up to accident
Do not move a seriously injured victim unless…
- An immediate danger, such as fire, lack of oxygen, risk of explosion, etc.
- To get to another person who may have more serious problems
- When necessary to give proper care
- If you must move a person, do so quickly and carefully
What is one of the most serious threats to a seriously injured person?
Unnecessary movement
When should you call 911?
When the victim is, or becomes, unconscious, or has injuries to the head, neck, or back.
What is “normal breathing”?
quiet and effortless
How can you tell if a person may not be getting enough air?
- Breathing very slowly, heavily, or gasping for breath.
- Making shrill, gurgling, or choking noises
The best guideline is, “When in doubt, ______”.
Call
When do you hang up on 911 call?
After emergency dispatcher hangs up.
Check unconscious victims for ABC’s, which are…
Airway is open
Breathing
Circulation or severe bleeding
How do you check for breathing?
If chest rises, no more than 5-10 seconds
In general, give appropriate CPR to an ill or injured person until…
- You see an obvious sign of life, like breathing.
- Another trained responder or EMS personnel take over
- You are too exhausted to continue
- The scene becomes unsafe
What do you do if vomiting occurs during CPR?
Roll the victim onto their side (recovery position) and clear the mouth of any matter.
Brain damage is possible after _____ minutes without oxygen.
4-6 minutes
What is hyperventilation?
This occurs when a person breathes faster than normal (rapid or shallow). It is often the result of anxiety. It can also be triggered by asthma and exercise.
What are the signals of a heart attack?
- Persistent chest pain or discomfort. Persistent pain or pressure in the chest not relieved by resting, changing position, or medication.
- Pain may range from discomfort to unbearable crushing pain
- Breathing difficulty (noisy, shortness of breath, etc.)
- Changes in pulse rate
- Skin appearance: pale or bluish in color, face may be moist, profuse sweat
Are heart attack symptoms always the same?
People experience different symptoms, even for 2nd heart attack
What are common signs of heart attack for women?
More Subtle Symptoms
- Milder chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, extreme fatigue, and dizziness or lightheadedness
- Women may experience symptoms for hours, day, or even weeks and assume things are normal
- More women die of heart attacks than men.
What happens in a heart attack?
Blood flow to the heart is blocked, which can cause part of the heart to die.
What is cardiac arrest? (worse than a heart attack)
When the heart stops beating or beats too ineffectively to pump blood to the vital organs and/or brain.
What happens if a person has cardiac arrest?
Symptoms include sudden collapse, loss of consciousness, and no breathing or ineffective breathing.
How much aspirin should a person take for a heart attack?
Two low dose (81mg) or one regular (325mg). They must be chewed.
When should a person not take aspirin for heart attack?
- Allergic
- On blood thinners
- Stomach ulcer/disease
- Told not to by health care provider
The links in the Adult Cardiac Chain of Survival are…
- Recognize emergency and call 911
- Early CPR
- Early defibrillation
- Advanced life support
- Integrated post-cardiac arrest care
The links in the pediatric Cardiac Chain of Survival are…
- Injury prevention and safety
- Early CPR
- Early emergency care
- Pediatric advanced life support
- Integrated post-cardiac arrest care
What is the main signal of a heart attack?
Pain or discomfort in the chest that does not go away
When does chest pain require immediate medical attention?
Severe chest pain that lasts longer than 3-5 minutes, or persists even during rest.
When does someone need CPR?
When they are not breathing and have no pulse
When can you stop CPR?
- You see an obvious sign of life, like breathing.
- Another trained responder or EMS personnel take over
- You are too exhausted to continue
- The scene becomes unsafe
Where do you put your hands for CPR?
Above the notch at the lower end of the victims breastbone, where the ribs join it.
When giving CPR to an adult, how far should the chest compress?
At least 2 inches
What is the compression rate for CPR?
100-120 compressions each minute
What is a CPR cycle?
30 compressions, 2 breaths, …
If you witness a child suddenly collapse, does CPR start with breaths or compressions?
Assume cardiac emergency and start with compressions
If a person is already unconscious, do you start CPR with breath or compressions?
2 breaths
What is the best way to check if an adult is conscious?
Tap them on the shoulder and ask if they are okay
What is the best way to check if an infant is conscious?
Flick the bottom of its foot
How to give rescue breaths?
Use the head-tilt/chin lift maneuver by placing one hand on the forehead and 2 fingers under the bony part of the chin. Tilt the head back and lift the chin.
How far should you tilt an adult’s chin for rescue breaths?
A past-neutral position
How far should you tilt a child’s chin (1-12 yrs) for rescue breaths?
Slightly neutral position
When giving rescue breaths, do you breath deep or normal?
Normal. Too much air may cause the person to vomit
If a spine or neck injury is suspected, perform rescue breaths using the _______ _________ technique
Jaw Thrust
If a victims chest does not move with first rescue breaths, do you spend time trying to figure it out?
No, after two attempts, perform 30 compressions, then try to remove foreign object and give rescue breaths.
What can cause a person’s chest not to rise with rescue breaths?
Airway blocked by tongue or foreign object, CPR breathing barrier not sealing well, rescuer blows too quickly
How do you give rescue breaths to an infant?
Seal mouth over infant’s mouth and nose
What does AED stand for?
Automated External Defibrillator
What do you do if a choking person is coughing forcefully?
Stay with them to assure them and let them keep coughing.
If a conscious adult or child is choking and can’t breathe what should you do?
Bend at waist and give 5 back blows, then stand behind and give 5 upward abdominal thrust
Where do you place your hand for abdominal thrust?
just above naval
What is technique for ab thrusts?
- Place fist with thumb side against the middle of the person’s ab, just above naval.
Grab fist with other hand and give quick upward thrusts into the abdomen
How do you help choking person who is very large or pregnant?
Give chest thrusts on sternum instead of ab thrusts
How to help choking person in a wheelchair?
- Set parking brakes.
- Reach around wheelchair and person to give ab thrusts
- If unable to reach around, give chest thrusts instead
What is a stroke?
A sudden illness caused by blockage of blood flow to the brain.
For a stroke, act FAST, which stands for…
Face: weakness, numbness, drooping on one side (ask person to smile)
Arm: weakness or numbness in one arm. Ask to raise both arms, does one drift downward?
Speech: Slurred speech or difficulty speaking. Ask person to repeat simple sentence.
Time: Try to determine when the signals began. If the person shows signals of a stroke, time is critical. Call 911 right away
Call 911 for a seizure if…
- Seizure lasts more than 5 minutes (3 minutes on bus)
- Person has multiple seizures with no sign of slowing
- Person appears to be injured or does not regain consciousness
- Person is pregnant
- Person is diabetic
- Person is elderly
Is a febrile seizure fatal for a child?
No, even if it lasts more than 5 minutes
What about seizures occurring in water?
Always serious, call 911
What to do for a person experiencing a seizure?
let the seizure, run its course and take steps to protect the person. Afterwards, if the person is responsive but not fully awake, place them in the recovery position. Stay with them until help arrives by protecting them from injury and keeping their airway clear.
What do you do if the victim of a diabetic emergency is conscious?
Give them fluids or food containing 15-20 grams of sugar.
How do you care for someone who has fainted?
Place the victim on their back, elevate their feet, loosen any restrictive clothing, such as a belt, tie or collar
What do you do if you suspect that the victim’s condition is caused by poisoning?
Call poison control center.
What are the signals of poisoning?
They include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, chest or ab pain, breathing difficulty, sweating, changes in consciousness, and seizures. Other signals may include burning around the lips, tongue, or skin.
Allergies may cause breathing problems. If the victim has medication to help with it, can you administer it?
No. You can help the victim administer it to themselves, but you cannot do it.
What should you do if someone is unconscious or states that they are subject to severe allergic reactions?
Call 911
What are the signals of shock?
- Restlessness or irritability
- Altered consciousness
- Pale, cold, moist skin
- Rapid breathing
- Rapid pulse
How do you care for someone in shock?
- Have victim lay down in comfortable position.
- Help victim maintain normal body temp
- Try to reassure the victim
- Elevate the legs about 12 inches unless you suspect head, neck, or back injuries.
- If unsure of the victims condition, leave them lying flat
Should you give person in shock something to drink?
No
If someone has a splinter or foreign object in their eye, what should you do?
Cover BOTH eyes, do not remove it.
What should you do if foreign object is embedded in a wound?
Do NOT remove it. Place dressings around it to keep it from moving.
What should you do for a bloody nose?
Have victim sit with head slightly forward while pinching together on the upper bridge of the nose. (test may say nostrils)
What it a persons tooth/teeth have been knocked out?
Control the bleeding and save the tooth/teeth.
How to save a tooth
- The tooth should be replaced within 30 minutes
- Pick up tooth by chewing edge and do not handle the root
- If possible, put the tooth back in the original socket in normal position and bite down gently or hold it in place with sterile gauze or cloth.
- If not in mouth, preserve in cold fresh milk or victims saliva
What is a penetrating chest injury called?
A sucking chest wound
What is the #1 concern with a sucking chest wound?
The victim’s breathing
How do you care for a sucking chest wound?
Cover the wound with a dressing that does not allow air to pass.
How to care for a burn
- Stop the burning
- Cool the burned area with large amounts of cool water
- Cover the burn with dry, clean dressings to help prevent infection.
- Don’t put any kind of ointment on a burn unless it is a very minor burn
- Do not remove pieces of cloth that stick to the burned area
What to do for a chemical burn
- Flush with large amounts of cool running water until the ambulance arrives
- Have the victim remove any clothes with the chemical on them
How to handle dry chemical burns
- Brush off as much as possible with gloved hands, brush, or towel
What is the first thing you do if someone has been injured by electricity?
Do go near them until you are sure that the power is off. If there is a downed power line, call 911.
What is an injury to the soft tissue commonly called?
A Wound
Scrapes, cuts, and punctures are often called what?
Open Wounds
What is an avulsion?
An open wound in which a piece of skin, soft tissue, or even part of the body (such as a finger) is torn loose or off.
- Commonly caused by animal bites.
What are dressings?
Pads placed directly on the wound. Some have surfaces that won’t stick to a wound.
What are bandages?
Any material used to wrap or cover any part of the body, often used to hold a dressing in place.
A roller bandage used to control bleeding is often called a what?
Pressure bandage
What do you do if blood soaks through the bandages?
Add more dressings and bandages on top, DO NOT remove the bloody ones.
How to stop bleeding
Apply direct pressure with on clean dressing, apply pressure to pressure point where you can squeeze the artery against the bone.
Difference between blood from artery vs vein.
Arterial blood is usually bright red, veinous blood is dark red. Veins are damaged more often because they are closer to the surface.
What are the 4 basic types of injuries to muscles, bones, and joints?
Fractures, dislocations, strains, and sprains
What is a dislocation?
Separation of a bone from its location at a joint
What is a Sprain?
The partial or complete stretching or tearing of the special soft tissue bands that hold bones together at a joint, called a ligament. Injuries to joints are usually sprains.
What is a strain?
A stretching or tearing of muscles or the strong fibers that attach muscle to bone, called tendons.
What should you do with a strain or sprain?
- Leave it in the position you find it.
- Apply cold first, then heat
For a strain or sprain, remember RICE
Rest
Immobilize
Cold (20 min on, 20 min off)
Elevate
What should you do for a head injury?
The best thing you can do is minimize movement of the head and spine
General care for head and spine injuries includes:
- Minimize movement
- Maintain an open airway
- Check consciousness and breathing
- Control any external bleeding
- Keep the victim from getting chilled or overheating
When should you not induce vomitting?
If victim swallowed a corrosive substance (such as an acid or alkali) or a petroleum product (such as kerosene or gasoline)
What to do for snake bite
- Wash wound
- Immobilize injured area
- Keep injury lower than heart
- If possible, call 911
- Do not apply ice or cut wound
What are the signals of heat exhaustion?
- Cool, pale, moist, or flushed skin
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Exhaustion
Heat stroke is a serious medical emergency. What are the signals?
- Red, hot, dry skin
- Changes in consciousness
- Rapid, weak pulse
- Rapid shallow breathing
List heat problems from least to most severe
- Heat Cramps
- Heat Exhaustion
- Heat Stroke
Should you give conscious victims of heat emergency liquids to drink?
Yes, but do not let them drink too quickly. Give about 4 ounces every 15 minutes
What is frostbite?
The freezing of body parts exposed to the cold.
What are the signals of frostbite?
- Lack of feeling in the affected area
- Skin that appears waxy, is cold to the touch, or is discolored (flushed, white, yellow, or blue)
How do you care for frostbite?
- Never rub the area
- Warm gently by soaking in warm water no more than 105 degrees
- Loosely bandage with sterile dressings
What are the signals of hypothermia?
Shivering, numbness, glassy stare, apathy, loss of consciousness
How to care for hypothermia victim
- Warm body gradually by wrapping in blankets, or removing wet clothing and moving to a warm place.
- A tepid, slightly warm shower or bath may also be used.
If a child is involved in a car accident, what should you do?
Leave them in their car seat unless it is damaged.
What should you do if a person’s ab. is cut open and internal organs are exposed?
- Place person on their back and do not touch organs or try to put back into place.
- Remove clothing from the area and apply moist, sterile dressings or a moistened clean cloth loosely over the wound.
Signals of internal bleeding
- Tender, swollen, bruised, or hard areas of the body, such as the abdomen.
- May show following signs and symptoms of shock
- Rapid, weak pulse
- Skin that feels cool, moist, or looks pale or bluish
- Vomiting blood or coughing up blood
- Excessive thirst
- An injured extremity that is blue or extremely pale
- Altered mental state, such as the person becoming confused, faint, drowsy, or unconscious
What to do if a child is stung by a bee in your bus?
- Remove stinger with credit card
- Wash with warm water and cover it
How to help someone with asthma attack?
Encourage them to use their quick-relief medication, assisting if needed and if state or local regulations allow.
When should you use a splint?
Only when you must move the person to get medical help.
What is the least you should do in emergency?
Call 911
Signs of Emergency (4 Us)
Unusual Sounds
Unusual Odors
Unusual Sights
Unusual Behaviors
The Good Samaritan Law protects people who…
Acts the way a “Reasonable and Prudent Person” would.
How long to wash hands
At least 20 seconds
How long should I check for responsiveness and breathing?
No more than 5 to 10 seconds
Call before care if…
- Any person about 12 years or older who was unresponsive?
- a child or an infant whom you witness suddenly collapse
- an unresponsive child or infant known to have heart problems
Care before call if…
- an unresponsive, infant or child younger than 12 whom you did not see collapse
- a person who was choking
- a person who is experiencing a severe allergic reaction and has an epinephrine auto injector
- a person who has severe life-threatening bleeding
When should you put a person in a recovery position?
When the person is responsive, but not fully awake and has no obvious signs of injury
What are the CPR chest compression depths for each age group?
Adult: at least 2”
Child (1-12): about 2”
Infant (<1): about 1.5”
What are hand positions for CPR?
- Adult and child (12+): two hands in center of chest.
- Infant (<1): two fingers on center of chest just below nipple line.
What is the head position for rescue breaths?
- Adult: past-neutral
- Child (1-12): slightly past-neutral
- Infant: neutral position
What technique is used to open the airway?
The “Head-tilt/Chin-lift” maneuver
What should you do if the first rescue breath does not cause the chest to rise?
Re-tilt the head to ensure that the airway is open and ensure that the person’s nose and mouth are properly sealed.
What do you do to help someone who is choking?
After getting consent, give a combination of 5 back blows (between shoulder blades) followed by 5 ab thrusts.
What can you do for a person having an asthma attack?
Encourage the person to use their prescribed quick-relief medication, assisting if needed and if state or local regulations allow.
When would you use a tourniquet?
- Severe, life-threatening bleeding that can’t be controlled with direct pressure
- Physical location makes it impossible to apply direct pressure (person or limb trapped or confined space)
- Multiple people need care
- Unsafe scene
Where is a tourniquet appied?
Place the T around the wounded extremity about 2 inches above the wound, avoiding the joint if possible.
What to consider when determining if a burn is critical?
- Depth of the burn
- %age of body surface
- Location of the burn
- Age of the person
- Cause of the burn
How to classify burn degrees based on depth.
1st Degree: Epidermis
2nd: Dermis
3rd: Subcutaneous Tissue
What are the three general steps for first aid to burns?
STOP: stop the burning by removing the source if safe
COOL: Use clean, cool or cold water for at least 10 minutes (not ice or ice-water)
COVER: Cover loosely with a sterile dressing (at least clean)
What is an anatomic splint?
When you use an adjacent part of the body as a splint, such as an uninjured finger
What is true about a concussion?
- Common type of traumatic brain injury
- Can result from even a seemingly minor bump, blow, or jolt.
- After having a concussion, you have increased risk
How can you tell if someone may have a concussion?
Changes in the person’s behavior after a bump, blow, or jolt.
- dazed, confused, stunned, can’t remember simple instructions, headache, nausea, vomit, blurred/double vision, dizziness, groggy
How long should you pinch a nose to stop bleeding?
At least 5 min.
How to care for heat cramps.
- Move person to cool place to rest
- Lightly stretch muscle and gently massage area
What is first aid for heat stroke?
- Call 911 (or have someone do it)
- While waiting for help, take steps to rapidly cool the person’s body
What should water temp. be to rewarm frostbitten area?
100-105 degrees F.
What is the oil called on rash causing plants like poison ivy, sumac, and oak?
Urushiol
How should you treat rash from plant?
Apply calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream
What is 1st aid for lightening strike?
- Call 911
- If unresponsive and not breathing, begin CPR and use AED.
- Provide care for other conditions that you find, such as burns, shock, fractures, etc.
