EMT Airway Exam Questions and
Answers 100% Pass
You are assessing an elderly man with respiratory distress. He is coughing up bloody
sputum and has an oxygen saturation of 85%. You auscultate his breath sounds and
hear coarse crackles in all lung fields. This patient MOST likely has:
A) congestive heart failure.
B) acute-onset emphysema.
C) decompensated asthma.
D) severe bacterial pneumonia. - ✔✔A) this is indicative of left sided heart failure which
leads to a pooling of blood in the lungs, B is a chronic condition, C will show
diminished lung sounds, and D will show lung sounds typically localized
tidal volume - ✔✔amount of air that is breathed into or out of the lungs in a single
breath
eupnea - ✔✔normal, good, unlabored breathing
minute alveolar volume - ✔✔volume of air that reaches alveoli per minute
A young female experienced massive facial trauma and is unresponsive. After several
attempts, you are unable to adequately open her airway with the jaw-thrust maneuver.
You should:
A) carefully tilt her head back and lift up on her chin.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,B) insert a nasopharyngeal airway and apply oxygen.
C) apply oxygen and reattempt the jaw-thrust maneuver.
D) assist her ventilations with a bag-valve-mask device. - ✔✔A) while jaw thrust is
preferred since it minimizes movement of the spine, the head tilt chin lift is the next best
option, avoid NPA with head or face trauma b/c it may punch through damaged skull
into the cranium
You are assessing a 66-year-old man who has emphysema and complains of worsened
shortness of breath. He is confused, has a heart rate of 120 beats/min, and has an
oxygen saturation of 83%. Which of the following assessment findings should concern
you the MOST?
A) Confusion
B) Tachycardia
C) Low oxygen saturation
D) Worsened shortness of breath - ✔✔A) a sign of possible severe hypoxia in the brain
contraindicated - ✔✔suggest or indicate that a treatment/technique should not be used
due to the current circumstances
Which of the following devices is contraindicated in patients with blunt thoracic
trauma?
A) Oral airway
B) Nasal airway
C) Bag-valve-mask device
D) Oxygen-powered ventilator - ✔✔D) which delivers oxygen under high pressure and
can cause pneumothorax, also avoid in pediatric patients and those with COPD
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
, After an adult cardiac arrest patient has been intubated by a paramedic, you are
providing ventilations as your partner performs chest compressions. When ventilating
the patient, you should:
A) deliver 2 breaths during a brief pause in chest compressions.
B) deliver each breath over 1 second at a rate of 10 breaths/min.
C) hyperventilate the patient to maximize carbon dioxide elimination.
D) deliver each breath over 2 seconds at a rate of 15 breaths/min. - ✔✔B) this is method
after advanced airway has been put in place
sonorous breathing indicates ? - ✔✔anatomical obstruction
immediate step after chest rise is seen while manually ventilating a patient - ✔✔allow
for exhalation
You are administering oxygen at 15 L/min to a patient with respiratory distress. If you
are using a D cylinder (cylinder constant, 0.16), which reads 1500 psi, how long will it
take before you need to replace the oxygen cylinder?
A) 9 minutes
B) 11 minutes
C) 14 minutes
D) 18 minutes - ✔✔C) length of time = (gauge pressure - safe residual pressure) x
(cylinder constant) / (flow rate) or (P-rP)(C)/(V) or (1500-200)(.16)/(15) = 13.8
You are assessing a middle-aged male who is experiencing respiratory distress. The
patient has a history of emphysema and hypertension. He appears fatigued; has weak
retractions; and has labored, shallow breathing. You should:
A) administer oxygen with a nonrebreathing mask.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
Answers 100% Pass
You are assessing an elderly man with respiratory distress. He is coughing up bloody
sputum and has an oxygen saturation of 85%. You auscultate his breath sounds and
hear coarse crackles in all lung fields. This patient MOST likely has:
A) congestive heart failure.
B) acute-onset emphysema.
C) decompensated asthma.
D) severe bacterial pneumonia. - ✔✔A) this is indicative of left sided heart failure which
leads to a pooling of blood in the lungs, B is a chronic condition, C will show
diminished lung sounds, and D will show lung sounds typically localized
tidal volume - ✔✔amount of air that is breathed into or out of the lungs in a single
breath
eupnea - ✔✔normal, good, unlabored breathing
minute alveolar volume - ✔✔volume of air that reaches alveoli per minute
A young female experienced massive facial trauma and is unresponsive. After several
attempts, you are unable to adequately open her airway with the jaw-thrust maneuver.
You should:
A) carefully tilt her head back and lift up on her chin.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,B) insert a nasopharyngeal airway and apply oxygen.
C) apply oxygen and reattempt the jaw-thrust maneuver.
D) assist her ventilations with a bag-valve-mask device. - ✔✔A) while jaw thrust is
preferred since it minimizes movement of the spine, the head tilt chin lift is the next best
option, avoid NPA with head or face trauma b/c it may punch through damaged skull
into the cranium
You are assessing a 66-year-old man who has emphysema and complains of worsened
shortness of breath. He is confused, has a heart rate of 120 beats/min, and has an
oxygen saturation of 83%. Which of the following assessment findings should concern
you the MOST?
A) Confusion
B) Tachycardia
C) Low oxygen saturation
D) Worsened shortness of breath - ✔✔A) a sign of possible severe hypoxia in the brain
contraindicated - ✔✔suggest or indicate that a treatment/technique should not be used
due to the current circumstances
Which of the following devices is contraindicated in patients with blunt thoracic
trauma?
A) Oral airway
B) Nasal airway
C) Bag-valve-mask device
D) Oxygen-powered ventilator - ✔✔D) which delivers oxygen under high pressure and
can cause pneumothorax, also avoid in pediatric patients and those with COPD
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
, After an adult cardiac arrest patient has been intubated by a paramedic, you are
providing ventilations as your partner performs chest compressions. When ventilating
the patient, you should:
A) deliver 2 breaths during a brief pause in chest compressions.
B) deliver each breath over 1 second at a rate of 10 breaths/min.
C) hyperventilate the patient to maximize carbon dioxide elimination.
D) deliver each breath over 2 seconds at a rate of 15 breaths/min. - ✔✔B) this is method
after advanced airway has been put in place
sonorous breathing indicates ? - ✔✔anatomical obstruction
immediate step after chest rise is seen while manually ventilating a patient - ✔✔allow
for exhalation
You are administering oxygen at 15 L/min to a patient with respiratory distress. If you
are using a D cylinder (cylinder constant, 0.16), which reads 1500 psi, how long will it
take before you need to replace the oxygen cylinder?
A) 9 minutes
B) 11 minutes
C) 14 minutes
D) 18 minutes - ✔✔C) length of time = (gauge pressure - safe residual pressure) x
(cylinder constant) / (flow rate) or (P-rP)(C)/(V) or (1500-200)(.16)/(15) = 13.8
You are assessing a middle-aged male who is experiencing respiratory distress. The
patient has a history of emphysema and hypertension. He appears fatigued; has weak
retractions; and has labored, shallow breathing. You should:
A) administer oxygen with a nonrebreathing mask.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
