35) You are responding to a 54-year-old female patient in respiratory distress. The patient is on
home oxygen by nasal cannula at 1 lpm. The patient has diminished lung sounds bilaterally with
wheezes. She appears malnourished and has a barrel chest. What condition do you suspect?
A) Bronchitis
B) Asthma
C) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
D) Congestive heart failure
Objective: 17.14
36) What is the primary effect on the body when an EMT assists a patient with a prescribed
inhaler if the patient is short of breath?
A) Decreased heart rate
B) Dissolved mucus in the airways
C) Increased contraction of the diaphragm
D) Relaxation of the bronchioles
Objective: 17.14
18
37) What condition is when fluid accumulates in the lungs, preventing them from breathing
adequately?
A) Pneumonia
B) Pulmonary edema
C) Asthma
D) Pulmonary embolism
Objective: 17.14
38) What condition is when there is an infection in one or both lungs caused by bacteria, viruses,
or fungi?
A) Pneumonia
B) Pulmonary edema
C) Asthma
D) Pulmonary embolism
Objective: 17.14
19
39) When the lung collapses without injury or any other cause, it is called which of the
following?
A) COPD
B) Spontaneous pertussis
C) Spontaneous pulmonary embolism
D) Spontaneous pneumothorax
Objective: 17.14
40) What is NOT one of the symptoms of a pulmonary embolus?
A) sudden calmness
B) sudden onset of sharp chest pain
C) anxiety
D) pain and swelling in one or both legs
Objective: 17.14
20
41) You are on the scene of a 3-year-old patient who is in respiratory distress. The mother states
that the patient has been making a barking cough for the past 24 hours. The child is very scared
and upset. He is crying inconsolably. The patient has tachypnea, but his vital signs are normal
otherwise. He is leaning forward in the tripod position and is drooling profusely. What condition
do you suspect?
A) Epiglottitis
B) Croup
C) Child abuse
D) Strep throat
Objective: 17.14
42) You are on the scene of a 5-year-old patient who is in respiratory distress. The mother states
that the patient has been making a “seal bark”-sounding cough for the past 24 hours. The child is
very scared. The patient has stable vital signs. He is leaning forward in the tripod position and is
drooling profusely. After performing your primary assessment, what is your best treatment
option?
A) Provide high-concentration oxygen and have the parent hold it to the patient’s face.
B) Provide oxygen by BVM.
C) Use a tongue depressor to examine the patient’s mouth to determine whether the patient has
strep throat or croup.
D) Calm the child as much as possible and provide oxygen by blow-by.
Objective: 17.14
21
43) Your patient is a 6-year-old male who appears very anxious, is using increased effort during
expiration, and has a fever. He is wheezing and has a respiratory rate of 34. The patient’s skin is
very warm and dry. He does not have any cyanosis. The child is drooling and his mother states
that he complained of a sore throat and pain on swallowing earlier in the afternoon. Which of the
following conditions is most likely causing the patient’s distress?
A) COPD
B) Epiglottitis
C) Cystic fibrosis
D) Pneumonia
Objective: 17.14
44) Today patients with cystic fibrosis are surviving to:
A) older adulthood.
B) infancy.
C) toddler years.
D) adulthood.
Objective: 17.14
22
45) The EMTs should provide patients with viral respiratory infections:
A) antibiotics.
B) oxygen.
C) a prescribed inhaler.
D) a small-volume nebulizer.
Objective: 17.14
46) You are on the scene of a person down. You arrive at a college dormitory and find a 21-year-
old patient lying supine on the floor, unresponsive. The patient is “guppy” breathing at 5 times a
minute, has a strong radial pulse at 110 beats per minute, and has vomited on himself. Friends
state they went out to dinner and a party. They returned to change clothes for another party and
he never came out of his room. Your partner suctions the patient, inserts an oropharyngeal
airway, and ventilates the patient with a bag-valve mask with high-concentration oxygen. You
listen to lung sounds and there are coarse rhonchi bilaterally. What condition do you suspect?
A) Aspiration
B) Overdose
C) Status asthmaticus
D) Severe meningitis
Objective: 17.15
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