Upon arriving at the scene of a patient with difficulty breathing, you find the patient, a 350-pound man, sitting on the couch in his living room. The patient is conscious and alert and tells you that he is chronically short of breath, but feels worse today and wishes to be transported to the hospital. As you begin your assessment, your partner’s first act should be to:
Read DetailsYou respond to a call where the patient advises you he’s contracted a severe case of Hepatitis B after having an unprotected sexual contact. In performing your paramedic assessment, you expect to find which of the following skin colors?
Read DetailsYou are dispatched to a patient you transported to the hospital last week. You are informed by her son that his 83-year-old mother is to be transported to a local hospital for admission by her physician. The physician believes she’s had a stroke. She refuses to go and babbles that her family wants to “steal her good china.” Vital signs show a BP of 80/60, pulse of 130 and respirations of 30. Bilateral crackles are noted. The pulse oximeter shows 80%. Her skin condition is cold and clammy. She continuously talks about her family stealing social security checks from her and wants to call the police. At this point in the call, who can initially authorize treatment of this patient against her will?
Read DetailsYou arrive at the scene of a shooting. The patient, a 19-year-old man, has a gunshot wound to the side of his head with a large amount of exposed brain mater. Further assessment reveals that the patient is apneic and pulseless. Law enforcement personnel advise you that the person who shot the patient is in their custody. You should:
Read Details