21) Your patient is a 30-year-old female who may have overdosed on antidepressant medications.
On your arrival, she is lying supine on her bed with her head on a pillow. She is unresponsive to
painful stimuli and is snoring. She appears to be pale and her skin is cool and clammy. What
should you do first?
A) Apply oxygen by nonrebreather mask.
B) Insert an oropharyngeal airway.
C) Check the patient’s pulse.
D) Remove the patient’s pillow.
Objective: 17.8
22) You are called to the scene of a 45-year-old nonsmoker male with a history of asthma in
respiratory distress. You find him lying supine on the couch. The patient is lethargic but can
answer all your questions appropriately. He is diaphoretic, and complains of being cold,
coughing, and having difficulty breathing for the past 3 days. His vital signs are blood pressure
of 110/70, heart rate of 116, respiratory rate of 24, oxygen saturation of 93%, and temperature of
100.6°F. You hear rhonchi in the left lobes and he is coughing up yellow-tinged sputum. What
condition do you suspect?
A) Asthma
B) Silent myocardial infarction
C) COPD
D) Pneumonia
Objective: 17.9
11
23) When you hear wheezes while auscultating your patient’s breath sounds, which of the
following is most likely the cause?
A) There is an upper airway obstruction.
B) There is mucus in the air passages.
C) There is fluid in the lungs.
D) The lower air passages in the lungs are narrowed.
Objective: 17.10
24) When should the EMT most likely expect to hear wheezes in a patient complaining of
shortness of breath secondary to an asthma attack?
A) While breathing in
B) In between breaths
C) While breathing out
D) While holding his breath
Objective: 17.10
12
25) Which of the following sounds may be heard in lower respiratory obstruction?
A) Crowing
B) Wheezing
C) Stridor
D) Snoring
Objective: 17.10
26) Which of the following is proper when assisting a patient with the use of a prescribed
inhaler?
A) Have the patient hold the inhaled medication in his lungs as long as possible.
B) Make sure that the inhaler has been kept in the refrigerator.
C) Do not use the patient’s inhaler, because you do not know how the medication has been
stored.
D) Have the patient inhale deeply before delivering the spray.
Objective: 17.11
13
27) In which of the following circumstances is medical direction necessary when assisting a
patient with the use of a prescribed inhaler?
A) Patient has already overused the inhaler before your arrival.
B) Medical control is not necessary since assistance with inhaled medications is in the EMT
scope of practice.
C) The inhaler belongs to another family member, not the patient.
D) Medical control is necessary in all situations in which an EMT assists with a prescribed
inhaler.
Objective: 17.11
28) Which of the following inhalers would NOT be used to reverse an asthma attack?
A) Proventil
B) Ventolin
C) Beclomethasone
D) Albuterol
Objective: 17.11
14
29) Which of the following is a possible side effect of a prescribed inhaler for respiratory
problems?
A) Tremors
B) Sleepiness
C) Trapped air in the lungs
D) Decreased heart rate
Objective: 17.11
30) Which of the following is a benefit of using small-volume nebulizers for the treatment of
respiratory problems?
A) They allow greater exposure of the patient’s lungs to the medication.
B) The patient can easily carry this equipment in a purse or pocket.
C) Nebulized medications have fewer side effects than aerosolized medications from an inhaler.
D) They will work even when the patient’s ventilations are inadequate.
Objective: 17.11
15
31) Which of the following is the most proper dose of inhaled medication the EMT can assist the
patient with administering?
A) As needed until respiratory status improves
B) Two sprays
C) The number of sprays directed by medical control
D) One spray
Objective: 17.11
32) A ________ device works by blowing oxygen or air continuously at a low pressure to
prevent a patient’s alveoli from collapsing.
A) COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
B) Nonrebreather
C) CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure)
D) FROPVD (Flow-Restricted, Oxygen Powered Ventilation Device)
Objective: 17.12
16
33) Contraindications for the use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) can include
which of the following?
A) Audible rhonchi
B) History of pulmonary fibrosis
C) History of obstructive sleep apnea
D) Audible wheezing
Objective: 17.13
34) Which of the following is the primary cause of COPD?
A) Air pollution
B) Congenital diseases
C) Infection
D) Cigarette smoking
Objective: 17.14
17