EMT Cardiac and Diabetic Emergencies

The medical term for fainting is:

• syncope

• altered RAS status.

• dehydration

• vertigo

Your patient is waking up from a seizure; it was the patient's first seizure ever. When you ask what happened, the patient tells you she had the smell of fresh mown grass just before she seized. This sensation is known as a(n):

• tonic phase.

• postictal phase.

• clonic phase

• aura

The death of brain tissue due to deprivation of oxygen because of a blocked or ruptured artery in the brain is known as which of the following?

• Transient ischemic attack

• Stroke

• Aphasia

• Seizure

There are two types of seizures; if your patient is having a seizure that affects only one body part and does not cause her to lose consciousness, it is called a:

• tonic-clonic seizure

• generalized seizure

• postictal seizure

• partial seizure

The condition in which there is an insufficient amount of sugar in the blood is called:

• diabetic coma

• hypoglycemia

• hyperglycemia

• diabetic ketoacidosis

Your patient is a 25-year-old female with a history of diabetes. She is confused, agitated, and verbally abusive to you, and she is very sweaty. Although she refuses to give a history of the present illness, you should suspect which of the following as the likely cause of the patient's presentation?

• Failure to take her insulin

• A nondiabetic-related problem, such as a head injury or mental illness

• Failure to intake sufficient sugar

• Excessive intake of foods high in sugar, such as soda or candy

Normal consciousness is regulated by a series of neurologic circuits in the brain that comprise the reticular activating system (RAS). The RAS has simple requirements to function properly. Which one of the following items is NOT one of those requirements?

• oxygen

• glucose

• water

• sodium

During your primary assessment you find your patient has an altered mental status. This could indicate which of the following?

• Failing respiratory system

• Problems with the RAS due to hypertension

• The need for suctioning of the airway

• The need to complete a secondary assessment

If the blood sugar level is very high, which of the following may result?

• Excessive urination, excessive thirst, and excessive hunger

• Polyuria and hyperactivity

• Excessive insulin, excessive glucose, and excessive urination

• Hyperactivity, excessive thirst, and polyuria

The most common medical emergency for the diabetic is hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Which one of the factors below is NOT a cause of hypoglycemia?

• Takes too much insulin

• Reduces sugar intake by eating too much

• Overexercises or overexerts himself

• Vomits a meal