Emergency Care, 13e (Limmer et al.)
Chapter 13 Vital Signs and Monitoring Devices
1) When the heart contracts and forces blood into the arteries, the pressure created is known as
the:
A) pulse pressure.
B) systolic blood pressure.
C) diastolic blood pressure.
D) central venous pressure.
Objective: 13.1
2) What is the pressure remaining in the arteries after the pulse wave has passed through?
A) Venous pressure
B) Systolic blood pressure
C) Diastolic blood pressure
D) Resting blood pressure
Objective: 13.1
1
3) A patient with a pulse rate of 120 beats per minute is considered which of the following?
A) Dyscardic
B) Normocardic
C) Tachycardic
D) Bradycardic
Objective: 13.1
4) The method of taking blood pressure by using a stethoscope to listen to the characteristic
sounds produced is called:
A) auscultation.
B) articulation.
C) palpation.
D) pulsation.
Objective: 13.1
5) Upon assessment of your patient, you notice that he has cool, sweaty skin. This finding is best
described as which of the following?
A) Diagnosis
B) Sign
C) Complaint
D) Symptom
Objective: 13.2
2
6) The abbreviation mmHg indicates that the blood pressure is measured by which of the
following comparisons?
A) Minimum heart rate
B) Millimeters of mercury
C) Millimeters of water
D) Atmospheric pressure
Objective: 13.2
7) The first set of vital sign measurements obtained are often referred to as which of the
following?
A) Baseline vital signs
B) Normal vital signs
C) Standard vital signs
D) None of the above
Objective: 13.2
8) An oxygen saturation of 97% is considered which of the following?
A) Severe hypoxia
B) Normal
C) Hypoxia
D) Significant hypoxia
Objective: 13.2
3
9) In a blood pressure reading of 120/80, the 120 is measuring what body process?
A) Diastolic blood pressure; when the left ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the
arteries
B) Systolic blood pressure; when the right ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the
veins
C) Systolic blood pressure; when the left ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the
arteries
D) Systolic blood pressure; when the left ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the
veins
Objective: 13.2
10) Which of the following are the vital signs that need to be recorded?
A) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature and condition
B) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature and condition, pupils, blood pressure, and
bowel sounds
C) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature and condition, pupils, and blood pressure
D) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature, pupils, and blood pressure
Objective: 13.2
4
11) Breathing sounds that should concern the EMT are:
A) snoring, gurgling, wheezing, crowing, and crowning.
B) retractions, and diaphragmatic breathing.
C) tachycardia, retractions, and diaphragmatic breathing.
D) snoring, gurgling, wheezing, and crowing.
Objective: 13.3
12) A(n) ________ set of vital signs is important for critical decision making for the EMT.
A) unbiased
B) accurate
C) complete
D) repeated
Objective: 13.3
5
13) You are assessing a 48-year-old male who is unconscious. The scene is safe and you hear the
patient gurgling. What is your next action?
A) Suction the airway.
B) Insert an airway adjunct.
C) Open the airway with a head tilt.
D) Quickly check the pulse.
Objective: 13.4
14) You are unable to find a radial pulse on a patient from a motor vehicle crash. You should:
A) listen for heart sounds
B) begin chest compressions.
C) attempt to find the carotid pulse.
D) apply the pulse oximeter.
Objective: 13.4
6
15) A patient being transported by ambulance to the hospital can have his blood pressure
measured by which of the following methods?
A) Blood pressure monitor
B) Palpation
C) Auscultation
D) Any of the above
Objective: 13.4
16) You respond to a cafeteria to find an unconscious person with gurgling sounds upon
exhalation and inhalation. What is the probable cause of the respiratory sounds?
A) Cardiac arrest
B) Complete airway obstruction
C) Fluids in the airway
D) Tongue blocking the airway
Objective: 13.4
7
17) How often should a patient’s vital signs be reassessed during transport to the hospital after he
has had his pulse restored with CPR and the use of an AED?
A) Every 10 minutes
B) Every 15 minutes
C) Every 2 minutes
D) Every 5 minutes
Objective: 13.4
18) Where do baseline vital signs fit into the sequence of patient assessment?
A) Ongoing assessment
B) At primary assessment
C) At secondary assessment
D) At the patient’s side
Objective: 13.4
19) Vital signs should be reassessed every ________ minutes for a stable patient.
A) 15
B) 10
C) 5
D) 20
Objective: 13.4
8
20) Recording and documenting your patient’s first set of vital signs is very important because,
when combined with reassessments, it allows you to do which of the following?
A) Make an accurate diagnosis of the patient’s illness.
B) Compare your patient’s condition with other patients’ conditions.
C) Discover trends and changes in the patient’s condition.
D) Fill in all of the blanks on the patient care report form.
Objective: 13.5
21) In a conscious adult patient, which of the following pulses should be assessed initially?
A) Brachial
B) Radial
C) Carotid
D) Pedal
Objective: 13.6
9
22) You are assessing a 55-year-old male complaining of chest pain and have determined that his
radial pulse is barely palpable. You also determine that there were 20 pulsations over a span of
30 seconds. Based on this, how would you report this patient’s pulse?
A) Pulse 20, weak, and regular
B) Pulse 20 and weak
C) Pulse 40 and weak
D) Pulse 40, weak, and irregular
Objective: 13.6
23) The increase in the work of breathing is reported as:
A) labored breathing.
B) troubled breathing.
C) noisy breathing.
D) obstructed breathing.
Objective: 13.6
10