PARAMEDIC COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM
PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Following blunt trauma to the anterior chest, a 44-year-old woman presents with restlessness,
respiratory distress, perioral cyanosis, and tachycardia. Further assessment reveals a midline trachea,
engorged jugular veins, and absent breath sounds on the right side of her chest. You should: ANS -
perform an immediate needle thoracentesis to the right side of the chest.
A 40-year-old man presents with difficulty urinating, fever, and tremors. Which of the following should
you suspect? ANS -Prostatitis
A 45-year-old unrestrained man was ejected from his small truck when it struck a tree. The patient is
found approximately 20 feet from the wreckage. Your primary assessment reveals that he is
unresponsive and has sonorous respirations and a rapid pulse. Your initial actions should include: ANS -
manually stabilizing his head and opening his airway with the jaw-thrust maneuver.
A 60-year-old man with crushing chest pain has 3 mm of ST elevation in leads V1 through V4. What
should you suspect? ANS -Left anterior descending artery occlusion
A patient with a suppressed cough mechanism: ANS -is at serious risk for aspiration.
You are caring for a 33-year-old woman who is 35 weeks pregnant and fell down a flight of stairs. Full
spinal precautions have been taken, the patient is receiving high-flow oxygen, and a patent IV line is in
place. During transport, you reassess her and note that she has become diaphoretic, tachycardic, and
tachypneic. You should: ANS -tilt the backboard to the left side.
Which of the following is the MOST important consideration during a pandemic? ANS -Personal
protective equipment
The door-to-balloon time for a patient with an ST elevation myocardial infarction is ___ minutes or less.
ANS -90
When attempting resuscitation of a child with pulseless electrical activity, you should: ANS -attempt to
identify an underlying cause of the arrest.
, Which of the following clinical findings would MOST likely differentiate a massive hemothorax from a
tension pneumothorax? ANS -Hemoptysis
Which of the following clinical findings is the MOST consistent with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy? ANS
-Unexplained syncope
A 41-year-old woman attempted to kill herself by cutting her wrists. Law enforcement personnel are at
the scene. You have controlled the bleeding with direct pressure and a pressure bandage. The patient's
vital signs are stable and she is conscious and alert; however, she refuses to go to the hospital. Despite
pleas from her family to go to the hospital, she still refuses. You should: ANS -remain with the patient,
contact medical control, and request law enforcement intervention.
Any time a patient with end-stage renal disease is found in cardiac arrest, the paramedic should strongly
consider which of the following as the cause? ANS -Kyperkalemia
Which of the following statements regarding Grey Turner sign is correct? ANS -Grey Turner sign is
characterized by flank bruising and indicates internal bleeding.
Following decontamination, a patient is presented to you by rescue personnel for transport. The patient
is conscious and alert, and is in no obvious respiratory distress. The patient is emitting a pungent odor
and has an orange chemical on her clothing. You should: ANS -advise the rescuers that the patient has
not been adequately decontaminated.
Epiglottitis in children: ANS -is uncommon because children are vaccinated against Haemophilus
influenza type b.
A young woman experienced massive facial trauma after being ejected from her car when it struck a
tree. She is semiconscious, has blood draining from her mouth, and has poor respiratory effort. The
MOST appropriate initial airway management for this patient involves: ANS -suctioning her airway until
it is clear of blood and other secretions, administering a sedative and paralytic, and performing
endotracheal intubation.
Two MOST important underlying principles of National Incident Management System are: ANS -
flexibility and standardization.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Following blunt trauma to the anterior chest, a 44-year-old woman presents with restlessness,
respiratory distress, perioral cyanosis, and tachycardia. Further assessment reveals a midline trachea,
engorged jugular veins, and absent breath sounds on the right side of her chest. You should: ANS -
perform an immediate needle thoracentesis to the right side of the chest.
A 40-year-old man presents with difficulty urinating, fever, and tremors. Which of the following should
you suspect? ANS -Prostatitis
A 45-year-old unrestrained man was ejected from his small truck when it struck a tree. The patient is
found approximately 20 feet from the wreckage. Your primary assessment reveals that he is
unresponsive and has sonorous respirations and a rapid pulse. Your initial actions should include: ANS -
manually stabilizing his head and opening his airway with the jaw-thrust maneuver.
A 60-year-old man with crushing chest pain has 3 mm of ST elevation in leads V1 through V4. What
should you suspect? ANS -Left anterior descending artery occlusion
A patient with a suppressed cough mechanism: ANS -is at serious risk for aspiration.
You are caring for a 33-year-old woman who is 35 weeks pregnant and fell down a flight of stairs. Full
spinal precautions have been taken, the patient is receiving high-flow oxygen, and a patent IV line is in
place. During transport, you reassess her and note that she has become diaphoretic, tachycardic, and
tachypneic. You should: ANS -tilt the backboard to the left side.
Which of the following is the MOST important consideration during a pandemic? ANS -Personal
protective equipment
The door-to-balloon time for a patient with an ST elevation myocardial infarction is ___ minutes or less.
ANS -90
When attempting resuscitation of a child with pulseless electrical activity, you should: ANS -attempt to
identify an underlying cause of the arrest.
, Which of the following clinical findings would MOST likely differentiate a massive hemothorax from a
tension pneumothorax? ANS -Hemoptysis
Which of the following clinical findings is the MOST consistent with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy? ANS
-Unexplained syncope
A 41-year-old woman attempted to kill herself by cutting her wrists. Law enforcement personnel are at
the scene. You have controlled the bleeding with direct pressure and a pressure bandage. The patient's
vital signs are stable and she is conscious and alert; however, she refuses to go to the hospital. Despite
pleas from her family to go to the hospital, she still refuses. You should: ANS -remain with the patient,
contact medical control, and request law enforcement intervention.
Any time a patient with end-stage renal disease is found in cardiac arrest, the paramedic should strongly
consider which of the following as the cause? ANS -Kyperkalemia
Which of the following statements regarding Grey Turner sign is correct? ANS -Grey Turner sign is
characterized by flank bruising and indicates internal bleeding.
Following decontamination, a patient is presented to you by rescue personnel for transport. The patient
is conscious and alert, and is in no obvious respiratory distress. The patient is emitting a pungent odor
and has an orange chemical on her clothing. You should: ANS -advise the rescuers that the patient has
not been adequately decontaminated.
Epiglottitis in children: ANS -is uncommon because children are vaccinated against Haemophilus
influenza type b.
A young woman experienced massive facial trauma after being ejected from her car when it struck a
tree. She is semiconscious, has blood draining from her mouth, and has poor respiratory effort. The
MOST appropriate initial airway management for this patient involves: ANS -suctioning her airway until
it is clear of blood and other secretions, administering a sedative and paralytic, and performing
endotracheal intubation.
Two MOST important underlying principles of National Incident Management System are: ANS -
flexibility and standardization.
