EMS Caring for Common Medical Emergencies Chap 16

You respond to a home of a know diabetic patient.  The family tells you the patient took her insulin but did not eat.  After ensuring the patients is breathing adequately you should: 

• suspect she is in a diabetic coma
• administer oxygen
• give her a tube of oral glucose if available 
• not give her any sugar at all

A 50 year old diabetic patient's seizure has stopped.  The patient is unconscious.  EMT's are on the way.  What should you do? 

• protect the patient from injury
• assess for a pulse and support breathing
• place the patient in the recovery position
• observe the patient and with for the EMT

You are told a patient has had a seizure.  During  your assessment, you find the patient is unresponsive and is breathing very slowly with little chest rise.  You should:

• place the patient on their side and observe them
• restrain the patient in case of another seizure
• apply oxyen
• begin mouth to mask rescue breathing

Asthma produces wheezing during exhalation

• True
• False, their lung sounds are perfect

Emphysema is caused by an infection in the lungs

• True
• False

If you are dispatched for a patient with an altered mental status you should first determine if the patient's airway is open

• True
• False, assess the scene for safety hazards

If you are treating a patient who complains of weakness, a fever, and vomiting after their dialysis treatment you should:

• assess their vital signs and be prepared to treat them for shock
• place them in the recovery position
• position them so his legs are elevated and his head is lowered
• cover them with a planket

Nitroglycerin should be administered every 15 to 20 minutes

• True
• False

Nitroglycerin usually relives anginal chest pain within 5 minutes

• True
• False

When taking the blood pressure in a patient who has a shunt in their arm you should:

• cover the shunt to prevent infection
• use the shunt as the primary site for assessing the pulse
• avoid taking a blood pressure in the arm that has the shunt