TEST 17: Responding to Emergencies, Mass Casualties, and Disasters Flashcards
Emergencies
1. Three hours ago, a client was thrown from a car into a ditch, and he is now admitted to the
emergency department in a stable condition with vital signs within normal limits, alert and oriented
with good coloring and an open fracture of the right tibia. For which signs and symptoms should the
nurse be especially alert?
1. Hemorrhage.
2. Infection.
3. Deformity.
4. Shock.
Emergencies
1. 2. Because of the degree of contamination of the open fracture and the time that has passed
since the accident, the risk of infection is very high. Therefore, the nurse should be especially alert
for signs and symptoms of possible existing infection or early signs of infections, such as debris in the
wound site, temperature abnormalities, results of laboratory studies (such as complete blood cell
count and wound culture and sensitivities), or heat or redness around or in the wound. Because the
client’s vital signs and cardiovascular status are stable at this time, hemorrhage is not the primary
concern. The client is talking coherently at this point, so his mentation does not suggest that he is in
shock. However, assessment for signs and symptoms of hemorrhage and shock would certainly be
ongoing. The fracture would be corrected by surgery as soon as possible, thereby minimizing the risk
of deformity.
CN: Physiological adaptation; CL: Analyze
- A client is admitted to the emergency department with a full-thickness burn to the right arm.
Upon assessment, the arm is edematous, fingers are mottled, and radial pulse is now absent. The
client states that the pain is 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. The nurse should: - Administer morphine sulfate IV push for the severe pain.
- Call the physician to report the loss of the radial pulse.
- Continue to assess the arm every hour for any additional changes.
- Instruct the client to exercise his fingers and wrist.
- Circulation can be impaired by circumferential burns and edema, causing compartment
syndrome. Early recognition and treatment of impaired blood supply is key. The physician should be
informed since an escharotomy (incision through full-thickness eschar) is frequently performed to
restore circulation. Pain management is important for burn clients, but restoration of circulation is the
priority. Assessments should be performed more frequently. Exercise will not restore the obstructed
circulation.
CN: Safety and infection control; CL: Synthesize
- Circulation can be impaired by circumferential burns and edema, causing compartment
- A client is brought to the emergency department with abdominal trauma following an
automobile accident. The vital signs are as follows: HR 132, RR 28, BP 84/58, temp 97.0°F
(36.1°C), and oxygen saturation 89% on room air. Which of the following prescriptions from the
health care provider should the nurse implement first? - Administer 1 L 0.9% normal saline IV.
- Draw a complete blood count (CBC) with hematocrit and hemoglobin.
- Obtain an abdominal x-ray.
- Insert an indwelling urinary catheter.
- The client is demonstrating vital signs consistent with fluid volume deficit, likely due to
bleeding and/or hypovolemic shock as a result of the automobile accident. The client will need
intravenous fluid volume replacement using an isotonic fluid (eg, 0.9% normal saline) to expand or
replace blood volume and normalize vital signs. The other prescriptions can be implemented once the
intravenous fluids have been initiated.
CN: Physiologic adaptation; CL: Analyze
- A middle-aged man collapses in the emergency department waiting room. The triage nurse
should first: - Gently shake the victim and ask him to state his name.
- Perform the chin-tilt to open the victim’s airway.
- Feel for any air movement from the victim’s nose or mouth.
- Watch the victim’s chest for respirations.
- Calling the victim’s name and gently shaking the victim is used to establish
unresponsiveness. The head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver is used to open the victim’s airway. Feeling for
any air movement from the victim’s nose or mouth indicates whether the victim is breathing on his
own. The rescuer can watch the victim’s chest for respirations to see if the victim is breathing.
CN: Physiological adaptation; CL: Synthesize
- Calling the victim’s name and gently shaking the victim is used to establish
- A client is experiencing an allergic response. The nurse should do which of the following in
order from first to last? - Assess for urticaria.
- Assess the airway and breathing pattern.
- Notify the physician.4. Activate the rapid response team.
5.2. Assess the airway and breathing pattern.
1. Assess for urticaria.
4. Activate the rapid response team.
3. Notify the physician.
If a client is experiencing an allergic response, the nurse’s initial action is to assess the client for
signs/symptoms of anaphylaxis, first checking the airway, breathing pattern and vital signs, with
particular attention to signs of increasing edema and respiratory distress. The nurse should then
assess for other indications of anaphylaxis, such as urticaria, feelings of impending doom or fright,
weakness, sweating (because a severe systemic response to an allergen can result in massive
vasodilation), increased capillary permeability, decreased perfusion, decreased venous return, and
subsequent decreased cardiac output. The nurse should call the rapid response team and then notify
the physician.
CN: Reduction of risk potential; CL: Synthesize
- Proper hand placement for chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is
essential to reduce the risk of which complication? - Gastrointestinal bleeding.
- Myocardial infarction.
- Emesis.
- Rib fracture.
- Proper hand placement during chest compressions is essential to reduce the risk of rib
fractures, which may lead to pneumothorax and other internal injuries. Gastrointestinal bleeding and
myocardial infarction are generally not considered complications of CPR. Although the victim may
vomit during CPR, this is not associated with poor hand placement, but rather with distention of the
stomach.
CN: Physiological adaptation; CL: Apply
- Proper hand placement during chest compressions is essential to reduce the risk of rib
- The American Heart Association (AHA) and Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation
guidelines urge greater availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and people trained to
use them. AEDs are used in cardiac arrest situations for: - Early defibrillation in cases of atrial fibrillation.
- Cardioversion in cases of atrial fibrillation.
- Pacemaker placement.
- Early defibrillation in cases of ventricular fibrillation.
- AEDs are used for early defibrillation in cases of ventricular fibrillation. The AHA and
Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation place major emphasis on early defibrillation for ventricular
fibrillation and use of the AED as a tool to increase sudden cardiac arrest survival rates.
CN: Reduction of risk potential; CL: Apply
- AEDs are used for early defibrillation in cases of ventricular fibrillation. The AHA and
- Indicate on the illustration below where the nurse would place the other electrode of the
automated external defibrillator (AED) on a victim who has collapsed and does not have a pulse.
- One electrode is placed to the right of the upper sternum just below the right clavicle. The other
is placed, as shown, over the fifth or sixth intercostal space at the left anterior axillary line.
CN: Reduction of risk potential; CL: Apply
- A client has been admitted to the emergency department diagnosed with food poisoning
following an outdoor picnic. The nurse should do which of the following? Select all that apply.1. Tell the family to discard contaminated food. - Collect specimens for laboratory examination.
- Assess vital signs.
- Initiate support for the respiratory system.
- Monitor fluid and electrolyte status.
- Provide antiemetics, as prescribed.
- 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Food poisoning is a sudden illness that occurs after ingestion of contaminated food
or drink. The nurse should first assess vital signs and then ensure that the client is not in respiratory
distress, because death from respiratory paralysis can occur with botulism, fish poisoning, and other
food poisonings. Measures to control nausea are important to prevent vomiting, which could
exacerbate fluid and electrolyte imbalance. Because large volumes of electrolytes and water are lost
by vomiting and diarrhea, fluid and electrolyte status needs to be continuously monitored. The key to
treatment is determining the source and type of food poisoning. If possible, rather than discarding the
food, the suspected food should be brought to the medical facility and a history obtained from the
client or family.
CN: Physiological adaptation; CL: Synthesize
- A client is admitted to the emergency department after being found in a daze walking away
from her burning car after an accident. She was not injured in the accident, but the other driver died.
She states, “I can’t handle it anymore. There’s no point to it all.” The crisis nurse recommends
hospital admission based on the identification of which of the following concerns? - The client was walking around in a daze.
- The client has a lack of knowledge of what to do next.
- The client is having delusions and is not in touch with reality.
- The client is expressing helplessness and hopelessness and is a risk for suicide.
- The client is demonstrating helplessness and hopelessness during a crisis, as evidenced by
her statement, “I can’t handle it. There is no point to it.” Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
are common factors associated with suicidal ideation. Therefore, the client must be hospitalized to
ensure safety to herself. There is not sufficient information to know if the client has a lack of
knowledge of what to do next. The client is not having delusions, which would be evidenced by
statements such as “The devil set my car on fire,” not just the inability to think clearly.
CN: Psychosocial integrity; CL: Analyze
- The client is demonstrating helplessness and hopelessness during a crisis, as evidenced by
- A client is brought to the emergency room via ambulance accompanied by her sister. The
sister states, “She was playing cards with us and had a seizure. Then she had another seizure just as
the first one was stopping, so I called the ambulance.” The client is currently not demonstrating any
seizure activity, her eyes are closed, and she does not respond to commands. Which intervention
should the nurse implement first? - Make sure suction equipment is set up bedside.
- Draw blood for a phenytoin (Dilantin) level.
- Assess the client’s vital signs.
- Prepare the client for a head computed tomography (CT).
- Following a seizure (postictal stage), the client will most likely be tired and want to sleep.
Maintaining the airway is the priority; the nurse should verify that suction equipment is available in
case the client aspirates or chokes. Assessing vital signs and obtaining a Dilantin level are both
appropriate actions by the nurse, but assuring safety is the first priority. There is no indication of a
need to obtain a head CT at this time.
CN: Physiological integrity; CL: Synthesize
- Following a seizure (postictal stage), the client will most likely be tired and want to sleep.
- The nurse in the emergency department reports there is a possibility of having had direct
contact with blood of a client who is suspected of having HIV/AIDS. The nurse requests that the
client have a blood test. Consent for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing can only be
completed when which of the following circumstances are present? Select all that apply. - An emergency medical provider has been exposed to the client’s blood or body fluids.
- Testing is prescribed by a physician under emergency circumstances.
- Testing is prescribed by a court, based on evidence that the client poses a threat to others.
- Testing is done on blood collected anonymously in an epidemiologic survey.
- When a health care provider who is taking care of a client who is suspected of having
HIV/AIDS requests a blood test.
- 1, 2, 3, 4. Upon a physician’s written prescription requesting an HIV test for a client, consentfor HIV testing must be obtained. Consent exceptions include the following: testing is prescribed by a
physician under emergency circumstances, and the test is medically necessary to diagnose or treat the
client’s condition; testing is prescribed by a court, based on clear and convincing evidence of a
serious and present health threat to others posed by an individual; testing is done on blood collected
or tested anonymously as part of an epidemiologic survey; or an emergency medical provider has
been exposed to the client’s blood or body fluids.
CN: Safety and infection control; CL: Apply
Mass Casualties
13. Several clients have come to the emergency department after a possible bioterrorist act of
arsenic overexposure. The nurse should assess these clients for which signs or symptoms immediately
following the poisoning? Select all that apply.
1. Violent vomiting.
2. Severe diarrhea.
3. Abdominal pain.
4. Sensory neuropathy.
5. Persistent cough.
Mass Casualties
13. 1, 2, 3. When arsenic overexposure occurs, the symptoms include violent nausea, vomiting,
abdominal pain, skin irritation, severe diarrhea, laryngitis, and bronchitis. Dehydration can lead to
shock and death. After the acute phase, bone marrow depression, encephalopathy, and sensory
neuropathy occur. A persistent cough is not a sign of arsenic exposure.
CN: Physiological adaptation; CL: Analyze
- Thirty people are injured in a train derailment. Which client should be transported to the
hospital first? - A 20-year-old who is unresponsive and has a high injury to his spinal cord.
- An 80-year-old who has a compound fracture of the arm.
- A 10-year-old with a laceration on his leg.
- A 25-year-old with a sucking chest wound.
- 4 During a disaster, the nurse must make difficult decisions about which persons to treat first.
The guidelines for triage offer general priorities for immediate, delayed, minimal, and expectant care.
The client with a sucking chest wound needs immediate attention and will likely survive. The 80-
year-old is classified as delayed; emergency response personnel can immobilize the fracture and
cover the wound. The 10-year-old has minimal injuries and can wait to be treated. The client with a
spinal cord injury is not likely to survive and should not be among the first to be transported to the
health care facility.
CN: Management of care; CL: Analyze
- An explosion at a chemical plant produces flames and smoke. More than 20 persons have
burn injuries. Which victims should be transported to a burn center? Select all that apply. - The victim with chemical spills on both arms.
- The victim with third-degree burns of both legs.
- The victim with first-degree burns of both hands.
- The victim in respiratory distress.
- The victim who inhaled smoke.
- 1, 2, 4, 5. Victims with chemical burns, second- and third-degree burns over more than 20%
of their body surface area, and those with inhalation injuries should be transported to a burn center.
The victim with first-degree burns of the hands can be treated with first aid on the scene and referred
to a health care facility.
CN: Management of care; CL: Analyze