EMT Ch 18, Gastrointestinal and Urologic Emergencies

For a patient with a gastrointestinal complaint, it is MOST important for the EMT to _________.

• determine the cause of the patient's complaint

• identify whether the patient requires rapid transport

• perform all interventions prior to transport

• avoid transporting the patient if the condition is minor

Which of the following helps filter the blood and has no digestive function?

• Large intestine

• Stomach

• Spleen

• Small intestine

Your patient complains of chronic “burning” stomach pain that improves after eating. You should suspect:

• peptic ulcer disease.

• aortic aneurysm.

• pneumonia.

• kidney stones.

Your patient complains of abdominal pain that occurs mostly at night or after eating fatty foods. You should suspect ____________.

• appendicitis

• cholecystitis

• a hernia

• kidney stones

Urinary tract infections are more common in ____________.

• women

• men

• sedentary adults

• active adults

Which of the following is correct about the secondary assessment for a high-priority patient?

• You may not have time to complete a secondary assessment.

• The secondary assessment must be performed prior to transport.

• Never contact medical direction before completing the secondary assessment.

• Never perform a secondary assessment on a high-priority patient.

Which of the following may help reduce your patient's nausea?

• Cricoid pressure

• Positive-pressure ventilation

• Low-flow oxygen

• Oral glucose

Which of the following statements regarding the acute abdomen is correct?

• The most common cause of an acute abdomen is inflammation of the gallbladder and liver.

• The parietal peritoneum is typically the first abdominal layer that becomes inflamed or irritated.

• The initial pain associated with an acute abdomen tends to be vague and poorly localized.

• An acute abdomen almost always occurs as the result of blunt trauma to solid abdominal organs.

Pain that may be perceived at a distant point on the surface of the body, such as the back or shoulder, is called:

• referred pain.

• radiating pain.

• visceral pain.

• remote pain.

A 30-year-old woman with a history of alcoholism presents with severe upper abdominal pain and is vomiting large amounts of bright red blood. Her skin is cool, pale, and clammy; her heart rate is 120 beats/min and weak; and her blood pressure is 70/50 mm Hg. Your MOST immediate action should be to:

• protect her airway from aspiration.

• keep her supine and keep her warm.

• rapidly transport her to the hospital.

• give her high-flow supplemental oxygen.