WEST COAST EMT EXAM 2
COMPREHENSIVE FINAL PAPER
QUESTIONS SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ A 30-year-old male presents with acute shortness of breath,
widespread hives, and facial swelling. He denies any past medical
history and takes no medications. During your assessment, you hear
wheezing over all the lung fields. His blood pressure is 90/50 mm
Hg and his heart rate is 110 beats/min. In addition to giving him
high-flow oxygen, the MOST important treatment for this patient is:
Select one:
A. epinephrine.
B. a beta-antagonist.
C. albuterol.
D. an antihistamine. Answer: A. epinephrine.
◉ A 59-year-old male with a history of emphysema complains of an
acute worsening of his dyspnea and pleuritic chest pain following a
forceful cough. Your assessment reveals that he has a barrel-shaped
chest, unilaterally diminished breath sounds, and tachycardia. What
is the MOST likely cause of this patient's condition?
Select one:
A. Spontaneous pneumothorax
,B. Exacerbation of his COPD
C. Acute pulmonary embolism
D. Rupture of the diaphragm Answer: A. Spontaneous pneumothorax
◉ A pleural effusion is MOST accurately defined as:
Select one:
A. fluid accumulation outside the lung.
B. diffuse collapsing of the alveoli.
C. a unilaterally collapsed lung.
D. a bacterial infection of the lung tissue. Answer: A. fluid
accumulation outside the lung.
◉ Asthma is caused by a response of the:
Select one:
A. immune system.
B. cardiovascular system.
C. endocrine system.
D. respiratory system. Answer: A. immune system.
◉ Crackles (rales) are caused by _________.
Select one:
A. severe bronchoconstriction
,B. mucus in the larger airways
C. narrowing of the upper airways
D. air passing through fluid Answer: D. air passing through fluid
◉ His parents tell you that their son has had a chest infection for the
past two days and when they took him to their family doctor, they
were told it was likely due to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
They have kept him well hydrated, but the infection seems to have
gotten worse. On auscultation, you hear decreased air entry
bilaterally with fine expiratory wheezes and the occasional coarse
wet crackle. Based on this information, your patient is most likely
suffering from:
Select one:
A. pertussis.
B. epiglottitis.
C. croup.
D. bronchiolitis. Answer: D. bronchiolitis.
◉ In order for efficient pulmonary gas exchange to occur:
Select one:
A. the percentage of inhaled carbon dioxide must exceed the
percentage of inhaled oxygen.
B. there must be low quantities of pulmonary surfactant to allow for
full alveolar expansion.
, C. oxygen and carbon dioxide must be able to freely diffuse across
the alveolar-capillary membrane.
D. the pulmonary capillaries must be completely constricted and the
alveoli must be collapsed. Answer: C. oxygen and carbon dioxide
must be able to freely diffuse across the alveolar-capillary
membrane.
◉ In what area of the lungs does respiration occur?
Select one:
A. Alveoli
B. Bronchi
C. Trachea
D. Capillaries Answer: A. Alveoli
◉ Treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
would MOST likely be contraindicated in which of the following
situations?
Select one:
A. Pulmonary edema, history of hypertension, and anxiety
B. Difficulty breathing, two-word dyspnea, and tachycardia
C. Conscious and alert patient with an oxygen saturation of 85%
D. Shortness of breath and a blood pressure of 76/56 mm Hg
Answer: D. Shortness of breath and a blood pressure of 76/56 mm
Hg
COMPREHENSIVE FINAL PAPER
QUESTIONS SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ A 30-year-old male presents with acute shortness of breath,
widespread hives, and facial swelling. He denies any past medical
history and takes no medications. During your assessment, you hear
wheezing over all the lung fields. His blood pressure is 90/50 mm
Hg and his heart rate is 110 beats/min. In addition to giving him
high-flow oxygen, the MOST important treatment for this patient is:
Select one:
A. epinephrine.
B. a beta-antagonist.
C. albuterol.
D. an antihistamine. Answer: A. epinephrine.
◉ A 59-year-old male with a history of emphysema complains of an
acute worsening of his dyspnea and pleuritic chest pain following a
forceful cough. Your assessment reveals that he has a barrel-shaped
chest, unilaterally diminished breath sounds, and tachycardia. What
is the MOST likely cause of this patient's condition?
Select one:
A. Spontaneous pneumothorax
,B. Exacerbation of his COPD
C. Acute pulmonary embolism
D. Rupture of the diaphragm Answer: A. Spontaneous pneumothorax
◉ A pleural effusion is MOST accurately defined as:
Select one:
A. fluid accumulation outside the lung.
B. diffuse collapsing of the alveoli.
C. a unilaterally collapsed lung.
D. a bacterial infection of the lung tissue. Answer: A. fluid
accumulation outside the lung.
◉ Asthma is caused by a response of the:
Select one:
A. immune system.
B. cardiovascular system.
C. endocrine system.
D. respiratory system. Answer: A. immune system.
◉ Crackles (rales) are caused by _________.
Select one:
A. severe bronchoconstriction
,B. mucus in the larger airways
C. narrowing of the upper airways
D. air passing through fluid Answer: D. air passing through fluid
◉ His parents tell you that their son has had a chest infection for the
past two days and when they took him to their family doctor, they
were told it was likely due to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
They have kept him well hydrated, but the infection seems to have
gotten worse. On auscultation, you hear decreased air entry
bilaterally with fine expiratory wheezes and the occasional coarse
wet crackle. Based on this information, your patient is most likely
suffering from:
Select one:
A. pertussis.
B. epiglottitis.
C. croup.
D. bronchiolitis. Answer: D. bronchiolitis.
◉ In order for efficient pulmonary gas exchange to occur:
Select one:
A. the percentage of inhaled carbon dioxide must exceed the
percentage of inhaled oxygen.
B. there must be low quantities of pulmonary surfactant to allow for
full alveolar expansion.
, C. oxygen and carbon dioxide must be able to freely diffuse across
the alveolar-capillary membrane.
D. the pulmonary capillaries must be completely constricted and the
alveoli must be collapsed. Answer: C. oxygen and carbon dioxide
must be able to freely diffuse across the alveolar-capillary
membrane.
◉ In what area of the lungs does respiration occur?
Select one:
A. Alveoli
B. Bronchi
C. Trachea
D. Capillaries Answer: A. Alveoli
◉ Treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
would MOST likely be contraindicated in which of the following
situations?
Select one:
A. Pulmonary edema, history of hypertension, and anxiety
B. Difficulty breathing, two-word dyspnea, and tachycardia
C. Conscious and alert patient with an oxygen saturation of 85%
D. Shortness of breath and a blood pressure of 76/56 mm Hg
Answer: D. Shortness of breath and a blood pressure of 76/56 mm
Hg
