1
respiratory emergencies Questions with Detailed Verified
Answers (100% Correct Answers) /Already Graded A+
You are dispatched to a residence for a young woman with difficulty breathing.
When you arrive, you find the patient sitting in a tripod position, noticeably
dyspneic and tachypneic. She tells you that she experienced a sudden sharp
pain to the left side of her chest and then started having trouble breathing. She
denies any past medical history and states that she only takes birth control
pills. Based on this patient's clinical presentation, you should be MOST
suspicious for
Ans: spontaneous pneumothorax
The oropharynx and nasopharynx meet in the back of the throat at the:
Ans: hypopharynx
If a patient's initial presentation makes you suspicious about a particular
respiratory condition, you must:
Ans: confirm your suspicions with a thorough assessment
You are transporting a middle-aged man on a CPAP unit for severe
pulmonary edema. An IV line of normal saline is in place. Prior to applying the
CPAP device, the patient was tachypneic and had an oxygen saturation of 90%.
When you reassess him, you note that his respirations have increased and his
oxygen saturation has dropped to 84%. You should:
Ans: remove the CPAP unit, assist his ventilations with a bag-mask device,
and prepare to intubate him
On either side of the glottis, tissue forms a pocket called the:
Ans: piriform fossae
You respond to the residence of an elderly man with severe COPD. You
recognize the address because you have responded there numerous times in
the recent past. You find the patient, who is clearly emaciated, seated in his
recliner. He is on oxygen via nasal cannula, is semiconscious, and is breathing
Approved By:
vPretest - Stuvia US
, 2
inadequately. The patient's daughter tells you that her father has an out-of-
hospital DNR order, for which she is frantically looking. You should:
Ans: recognize that he is experiencing end-stage COPD, begin assisting his
ventilations, and contact medical control as needed
Inspiratory and expiratory__________ sounds are both loud, but the
inspiratory sounds are shorter than the expiratory sounds.
Ans: bronchial
The by-product of cellular respiration is
Ans: carbon dioxide
A patient who is experiencing an allergic reaction states that his tongue "feels
thick" and speaks at a low volume. You should immediately evaluate for
Ans: angioedema
Common effects of gag reflex stimulation include all of the following,
EXCEPT:
Ans: tachycardia.
Intubation of a patient with severe asthma:
Ans: is often a last resort because asthmatics are difficult to ventilate and are
prone to pneumothoraces
A known heroin abuser is found unconscious on a park bench. Your
assessment reveals that his respirations are slow and shallow, and his pulse is
slow and weak. You should:
Ans: assist ventilations with a bag-mask device, administer naloxone, and
reassess his ventilatory status
A patient with status asthmaticus commonly presents with:
Ans: physical exhaustion and inaudible breath sounds.
Approved By:
vPretest - Stuvia US
respiratory emergencies Questions with Detailed Verified
Answers (100% Correct Answers) /Already Graded A+
You are dispatched to a residence for a young woman with difficulty breathing.
When you arrive, you find the patient sitting in a tripod position, noticeably
dyspneic and tachypneic. She tells you that she experienced a sudden sharp
pain to the left side of her chest and then started having trouble breathing. She
denies any past medical history and states that she only takes birth control
pills. Based on this patient's clinical presentation, you should be MOST
suspicious for
Ans: spontaneous pneumothorax
The oropharynx and nasopharynx meet in the back of the throat at the:
Ans: hypopharynx
If a patient's initial presentation makes you suspicious about a particular
respiratory condition, you must:
Ans: confirm your suspicions with a thorough assessment
You are transporting a middle-aged man on a CPAP unit for severe
pulmonary edema. An IV line of normal saline is in place. Prior to applying the
CPAP device, the patient was tachypneic and had an oxygen saturation of 90%.
When you reassess him, you note that his respirations have increased and his
oxygen saturation has dropped to 84%. You should:
Ans: remove the CPAP unit, assist his ventilations with a bag-mask device,
and prepare to intubate him
On either side of the glottis, tissue forms a pocket called the:
Ans: piriform fossae
You respond to the residence of an elderly man with severe COPD. You
recognize the address because you have responded there numerous times in
the recent past. You find the patient, who is clearly emaciated, seated in his
recliner. He is on oxygen via nasal cannula, is semiconscious, and is breathing
Approved By:
vPretest - Stuvia US
, 2
inadequately. The patient's daughter tells you that her father has an out-of-
hospital DNR order, for which she is frantically looking. You should:
Ans: recognize that he is experiencing end-stage COPD, begin assisting his
ventilations, and contact medical control as needed
Inspiratory and expiratory__________ sounds are both loud, but the
inspiratory sounds are shorter than the expiratory sounds.
Ans: bronchial
The by-product of cellular respiration is
Ans: carbon dioxide
A patient who is experiencing an allergic reaction states that his tongue "feels
thick" and speaks at a low volume. You should immediately evaluate for
Ans: angioedema
Common effects of gag reflex stimulation include all of the following,
EXCEPT:
Ans: tachycardia.
Intubation of a patient with severe asthma:
Ans: is often a last resort because asthmatics are difficult to ventilate and are
prone to pneumothoraces
A known heroin abuser is found unconscious on a park bench. Your
assessment reveals that his respirations are slow and shallow, and his pulse is
slow and weak. You should:
Ans: assist ventilations with a bag-mask device, administer naloxone, and
reassess his ventilatory status
A patient with status asthmaticus commonly presents with:
Ans: physical exhaustion and inaudible breath sounds.
Approved By:
vPretest - Stuvia US
