Emergency!

When someone is suffering from heat stroke how long do you have before there is non reversible damage to the patient?

• 15 minutes

• 30 minutes

• 45 minutes

• 60 minutes

Nurse Ejay is assigned to telephone triage. A client called who was stung by a honeybee and is asking for help. The client reports pain and localized swelling but has no respiratory distress or other symptoms of anaphylactic shock (allergic reaction). What is the appropriate initial action that the nurse should direct the client to perform?

• Remove stinger by scraping it

• Applying a cold compress

• Taking an oral antihistamine

• Calling 911

Answer explanation

Correct Answer: A. Removing the stinger by scraping it

Option A: Since the stinger will continue to release venom into the skin, removing the stinger should be the first action that the nurse should direct to the client. Options B and C: After removing the stinger, Antihistamine and cold compress follow. Option D: The caller should be further advised about symptoms that require 911 assistance.

A patient arrives at the emergency department who suffered multiple injuries from a head-on car collision. Which of the following conditions is the most serious and should take the highest priority?

• Unequal pupils

• Irregular pulse

• Bruising in the thigh

• A deviated trachea

Answer explanation

Correct Answer: D. A deviated trachea

Option D: A deviated trachea is a symptom of tension pneumothorax, which will result in respiratory distress if left untreated.

What is the first thing you do if you are in an emergency situation where someone is not breathing?

• Call 911

• Hope someone else is in charge

• Start CPR

• Rescue breaths

Nurse Kelly, a triage nurse encountered a client who complained of mid-sternal chest pain, dizziness, and sweating. Which of the following actions should she perform first?

• Administer oxygen

• Notify the physician

• Finish taking his medical history

• Monitor his heart on an ECG

Answer explanation

Correct Answer: A. Administer oxygen therapy via nasal cannula

Option A: The priority goal is to increase myocardial oxygenation. Options B, C, and D: These actions are also appropriate and should be performed immediately.

A group of people arrived at the emergency unit by a private car with complaints of swelling around the eyes, cough, and tightness in the throat. There is a strong odor emanating from their clothes. They report exposure to a “gas bomb” that was set off in the house. What is the first thing you do?

• Instruct personnel to get personal protective equipment

• Immediately remove other patients and visitors from the area

• Measure vital signs and lung sounds

• Direct the group to the decontamination area

Answer explanation

Correct Answer: E. Direct the clients to the decontamination area

Option E: Decontamination in a specified area is the priority. Option A: Personnel should don personal protective equipment before assisting with decontamination or assessing the clients. Option B: The clients must undergo decontamination before entering cold or clean areas. Options C and D: Performing assessments and moving others delays contamination and does not protect the total environment.

True or False: An AED will only shock a patient if they need it.

• True

• False

The emergency medical service has transported a client with severe chest pain. As the client is being transferred to the emergency stretcher, you note unresponsiveness, cessation of breathing, and can't find a pulse. What should you do?

• Call for a paramedic

• Mouth to mouth

• Start chest compressions for CPR

• See if they are choking

A patient arrives in the emergency unit and reports that a concentrated household cleaner was splashed in both eyes. Which of the following do you do first?

• Examine the patient's vision

• Patch the eye

• Administer eye drops

• Flush the eye out with sterile saline

Answer explanation

Correct Answer: D. Flush the eye repeatedly using sterile normal saline.

Option D: Initial emergency action during a chemical splash to the eye includes immediate continuous irrigation of the affected eye with normal saline. Option A: After irrigation, visual acuity then is assessed. Option B: Patching the eye is not part of the first-line treatment of a chemical splash. Option C: Restasis (Allergan) drops are used to treat dry eyes.

How many chest compressions should you do when administering CPR before doing rescue breaths?

• 100/min

• 30/min

• 30

• 100