2026 PARAMEDIC FISDAP AIRWAY COMPREHENSIVE
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Positive Pressure Ventilation - ✔✔With ineffective chest movement, or no chest
movement, negative intrathoracic pressure cannot be created. When this occurs, the
only way to move air into the lungs is by PPV, the forcing of air into the lungs.
✔✔Tidal Vol/Dead Space/Residual Vol/Total Lung Capacity - ✔✔Tidal- 500ml
Total Lung Capacity- 6,000ml/5-6L
Dead Space- 150ml
Residual Vol- 1,200ml
✔✔Hering- Breuer Reflex - ✔✔Terminates inhalation to prevent over-expansion of the
lungs.
✔✔Medulla - ✔✔Primary involuntary (autonomic) respiratory center. Connected to the
respiratory muscles by the vagus nerve. The medullary respiratory center controls the
rate, depth, and rhythm of breathing.
✔✔Chemoreceptors - ✔✔Receptors that monitor the chemical composition (pH, CO2,)
of body fluids that are located throughout the body. They measure the amount of CO2 in
arterial blood and pH in CSF, and if sensed any changes will send signals to the
respiratory center.
, ✔✔Dorsal Respiratory Group - ✔✔Responsible for initiating inspiration based on the
information received in the chemoreceptors.
✔✔Ventral Respiratory Group - ✔✔Responsible for motor control of the inspiratory and
expiratory muscles.
✔✔Hypoxic Drive - ✔✔Pt's with COPD have a hard time eliminating CO2, therefore
always have higher levels of it. The respiratory centers gradually accommodate
elevated CO2 levels. The body uses a backup system, that stimulates breathing when
the arterial O2 level falls, but then nerves and receptors are easily satisfied with minimal
O2.
✔✔Aerobic Metabolism - ✔✔In the presence of oxygen, the cells convert glucose into
energy through this process.
✔✔Anaerobic Metabolism - ✔✔Without adequate O2, the cells do not completely
convert glucose into energy and lactic acid and other toxins accumulate into the cell. If
this is not corrected (with adequate perfusion and ventilation) the cells will die.
✔✔Hypoxia - ✔✔Dangerous condition in which the cells in the tissues do not receive
enough O2.
✔✔V/Q Mismatch - ✔✔Ventilation and perfusion must be matched. A failure to match
ventilation and perfusion, lies behind most abnormalities in oxygen and carbon dioxide
exchange.
✔✔Hypoventilation - ✔✔Minute vol- decreases. CO2 elimination- decreases, leading to
hypercarbia. The level of CO2 in the pt's blood will exceed normal limits.
✔✔Hyperventilation - ✔✔Minute vol- increases. CO2 elimiation- increases, leading to
hypocarbia. The level of CO2 in pt's blood will fall below normal, leading to dizziness,
and numbness in the face and extremities.
✔✔Intrapulmonary Shunting - ✔✔Blood entering the lungs from the right side of the
heart, in an unoxygenated state.
✔✔Resp Acidosis - ✔✔Anytime a pt is in resp distress or is unable to breathe, acidosis
quickly develops, because of a buildup in CO2.
✔✔Resp Alkalosis - ✔✔Alkalosis can develop if respiration's are too high, and there is
not enough CO2 in the body, the body will be high in base.
✔✔Orthopnea - ✔✔Severe dyspnea experienced when recumbent and relieved by
sitting or standing up.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Positive Pressure Ventilation - ✔✔With ineffective chest movement, or no chest
movement, negative intrathoracic pressure cannot be created. When this occurs, the
only way to move air into the lungs is by PPV, the forcing of air into the lungs.
✔✔Tidal Vol/Dead Space/Residual Vol/Total Lung Capacity - ✔✔Tidal- 500ml
Total Lung Capacity- 6,000ml/5-6L
Dead Space- 150ml
Residual Vol- 1,200ml
✔✔Hering- Breuer Reflex - ✔✔Terminates inhalation to prevent over-expansion of the
lungs.
✔✔Medulla - ✔✔Primary involuntary (autonomic) respiratory center. Connected to the
respiratory muscles by the vagus nerve. The medullary respiratory center controls the
rate, depth, and rhythm of breathing.
✔✔Chemoreceptors - ✔✔Receptors that monitor the chemical composition (pH, CO2,)
of body fluids that are located throughout the body. They measure the amount of CO2 in
arterial blood and pH in CSF, and if sensed any changes will send signals to the
respiratory center.
, ✔✔Dorsal Respiratory Group - ✔✔Responsible for initiating inspiration based on the
information received in the chemoreceptors.
✔✔Ventral Respiratory Group - ✔✔Responsible for motor control of the inspiratory and
expiratory muscles.
✔✔Hypoxic Drive - ✔✔Pt's with COPD have a hard time eliminating CO2, therefore
always have higher levels of it. The respiratory centers gradually accommodate
elevated CO2 levels. The body uses a backup system, that stimulates breathing when
the arterial O2 level falls, but then nerves and receptors are easily satisfied with minimal
O2.
✔✔Aerobic Metabolism - ✔✔In the presence of oxygen, the cells convert glucose into
energy through this process.
✔✔Anaerobic Metabolism - ✔✔Without adequate O2, the cells do not completely
convert glucose into energy and lactic acid and other toxins accumulate into the cell. If
this is not corrected (with adequate perfusion and ventilation) the cells will die.
✔✔Hypoxia - ✔✔Dangerous condition in which the cells in the tissues do not receive
enough O2.
✔✔V/Q Mismatch - ✔✔Ventilation and perfusion must be matched. A failure to match
ventilation and perfusion, lies behind most abnormalities in oxygen and carbon dioxide
exchange.
✔✔Hypoventilation - ✔✔Minute vol- decreases. CO2 elimination- decreases, leading to
hypercarbia. The level of CO2 in the pt's blood will exceed normal limits.
✔✔Hyperventilation - ✔✔Minute vol- increases. CO2 elimiation- increases, leading to
hypocarbia. The level of CO2 in pt's blood will fall below normal, leading to dizziness,
and numbness in the face and extremities.
✔✔Intrapulmonary Shunting - ✔✔Blood entering the lungs from the right side of the
heart, in an unoxygenated state.
✔✔Resp Acidosis - ✔✔Anytime a pt is in resp distress or is unable to breathe, acidosis
quickly develops, because of a buildup in CO2.
✔✔Resp Alkalosis - ✔✔Alkalosis can develop if respiration's are too high, and there is
not enough CO2 in the body, the body will be high in base.
✔✔Orthopnea - ✔✔Severe dyspnea experienced when recumbent and relieved by
sitting or standing up.
