RESPIRATORY EMERGENCIES EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
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 - ANSWER
spontaneous pneumothorax
The oropharynx and nasopharynx meet in the back of the throat at the: - ANSWER
hypopharynx
If a patient's initial presentation makes you suspicious about a particular respiratory
condition, you must: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER 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 emaciated, seated in his recliner. He is on oxygen via
nasal cannula, is semiconscious, and is breathing 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: - ANSWER 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. - ANSWER bronchial
The by-product of cellular respiration is - ANSWER 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 -
ANSWER angioedema
Common effects of gag reflex stimulation include all of the following, EXCEPT: -
ANSWER tachycardia.
Intubation of a patient with severe asthma: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER assist ventilations with a bag-mask device, administer
naloxone, and reassess his ventilatory status
A patient with status asthmaticus commonly presents with: - ANSWER physical
exhaustion and inaudible breath sounds.
A 36-year-old man with a history of asthma presents with severe respiratory
distress. You attempt to administer a nebulized beta-2 agonist, but his poor
respiratory effort is inhibiting effective drug delivery via the nebulizer and his
mental status is deteriorating. You should: - ANSWER assist his ventilations and
establish vascular access.
A patient with respiratory distress who is willing to lie flat: - ANSWER may be
acutely deteriorating.
Use of an automated transport ventilator is NOT appropriate for patients who are: -
ANSWER breathing spontaneously.
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