You are dispatched to a motor vehicle crash involving a motorcycle. Upon your arrival, you find a 17-year-old male patient lying face down on the ground. The patient’s breath smells of alcohol. He reports a headache and weakness on one side. He also reports seeing double. Upon examination, you find a 2-inch (5 cm) laceration above the left upper quadrant of his abdomen. His blood pressure is 90/56 mm Hg. His heart rate is 90 beats/min. His pupils are equal, round, and reactive to light. His breath sounds are clear and equal on both sides. He has no known allergies and a history of hypertension. You treat the patient by placing him on oxygen at 12 L/min via a nonrebreathing mask. You begin transport with the patient on his left side with an estimated time of arrival of 10 minutes.The patient reports weakness on one side. What is the term for on one side?

A 59-year-old man with a history of heart failure is suddenly awakened in the middle of the night with the feeling that he is smothering. When you arrive at the scene, you find him lying in bed with his head propped up by three pillows. He is conscious and alert but is experiencing obvious respiratory distress. His skin is pale and diaphoretic.Which of the following is a sign of inadequate ventilation?

It is mid-February and you respond to a local movie theater for a 42-year-old man with respiratory distress. Upon arrival, you and your partner are directed to the lobby where you observe a patient who appears to be having trouble breathing. The patient is leaning forward and speaking in short bursts. You notice the patient is using accessory muscles in his neck to help with breathing. The patient informs you he was standing outside in the cold for over 20 minutes waiting for a friend. He has a history of asthma, but has not had an attack in several years. The patient denies any other past medical history, takes no medications, and has no allergies. Vital signs are as follows: pulse, 106 beats/min; respirations, 26 breaths/min and labored; blood pressure, 142/88 mm Hg; and Spo2, 91%. Your physical examination reveals obvious accessory muscle use to the chest and neck and diffuse wheezing in all lung fields.Which of the following statements most accurately describes a key distinction between pediatric and adult patients experiencing a respiratory emergency?

It is mid-February and you respond to a local movie theater for a 42-year-old man with respiratory distress. Upon arrival, you and your partner are directed to the lobby where you observe a patient who appears to be having trouble breathing. The patient is leaning forward and speaking in short bursts. You notice the patient is using accessory muscles in his neck to help with breathing. The patient informs you he was standing outside in the cold for over 20 minutes waiting for a friend. He has a history of asthma, but has not had an attack in several years. The patient denies any other past medical history, takes no medications, and has no allergies. Vital signs are as follows: pulse, 106 beats/min; respirations, 26 breaths/min and labored; blood pressure, 142/88 mm Hg; and Spo2, 91%. Your physical examination reveals obvious accessory muscle use to the chest and neck and diffuse wheezing in all lung fields.The patient is exhibiting signs of respiratory distress, such as accessory muscle use and difficulty speaking. Which of the following is also a sign of respiratory distress?

It is mid-February and you respond to a local movie theater for a 42-year-old man with respiratory distress. Upon arrival, you and your partner are directed to the lobby where you observe a patient who appears to be having trouble breathing. The patient is leaning forward and speaking in short bursts. You notice the patient is using accessory muscles in his neck to help with breathing. The patient informs you he was standing outside in the cold for over 20 minutes waiting for a friend. He has a history of asthma, but has not had an attack in several years. The patient denies any other past medical history, takes no medications, and has no allergies. Vital signs are as follows: pulse, 106 beats/min; respirations, 26 breaths/min and labored; blood pressure, 142/88 mm Hg; and Spo2, 91%. Your physical examination reveals obvious accessory muscle use to the chest and neck and diffuse wheezing in all lung fields.Which of the following statements is true regarding asthma?

Your EMS supervisor is conducting a tabletop exercise with your crew in preparation for the next cardiac arrest call and wants to assess your crew’s knowledge of cardiac arrest management. She presents your crew with the following scenario questions.When performing CPR on an adult, you should compress the chest to a depth of __________ at a rate of __________ compressions per minute.

Your EMS supervisor is conducting a tabletop exercise with your crew in preparation for the next cardiac arrest call and wants to assess your crew’s knowledge of cardiac arrest management. She presents your crew with the following scenario questions.What is the proper compression-to-ventilation ratio for adult two-rescuer CPR?

You are dispatched to a local residence for a 70-year-old man reporting difficulty breathing. On arrival, you find the patient sitting in the living room on home oxygen. He is leaning forward, supporting himself with his hands on his knees, and as you approach, you notice he appears to be in respiratory distress and is using accessory muscles to help with breathing. He is unable to speak due to his difficulty breathing. His wife informs you that the patient has been ill for the past 2 days with a cough and increasing shortness of breath. He has a past medical history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, and diabetes.In this case, your transport decision is based on the:

You are dispatched to a residence for a patient with a headache. You arrive to find a 68-year-old man sitting up in a recliner in the living room; he is leaning slightly to the left. His wife reports he had a sudden headache about 1 hour ago. As you assess the patient, you notice that his speech is slurred and he is not moving his left side. You ask the patient to lift his left arm; he lifts his right instead. You also note a left-sided facial droop. A check of his vital signs shows a pulse of 100 beats/min, a blood pressure of 188/110 mm Hg, and respirations of 22 breaths/min. His past medical history includes poorly controlled diabetes and hypertension. He reports a blood glucose level of 70 mg/dL. As you prepare for transport, the patient experiences a generalized seizure.On the basis of the patient’s condition, what should you be most concerned with?

You are dispatched to a person reporting chest pain and shortness of breath. You arrive at the residence to find a 56-year-old man sitting in the kitchen. His skin is ashen, and he is diaphoretic. The patient describes the pain as substernal and crushing. On a scale of 0 to 10, he states his pain is an 8. The patient had a myocardial infarction 2 years ago, and he has angina, hypertension, and high cholesterol. His medications include nitroglycerin, furosemide, and atorvastatin. His vital signs are as follows: pulse, 140 beats/min and irregular; respiratory rate, 28 breaths/min; and blood pressure, 90/50 mm Hg. You hear crackles when listening to his breath sounds.The patient’s difficulty breathing and crackles are due to blood backing up in which part of the body?