Assessment Flashcard 1

A. Rationale: Bradypnea is slow breathing with a respiratory rate < 12 breaths per minute.

B. Rationale: This patient has the classic opiate toxidrome with decreased consciousness, decreased respirations, and miosis. Healthcare clinicians should evaluate for known opiate use and treat accordingly. While the patient has neurologic compromise, it is unlikely that he has had a stroke due to a lack of the classic findings specific to a particular brain region. The patient is unlikely to have ingested cocaine or have thyrotoxicosis as both of these diagnoses would be associated with sympathetic system activation rather than depression.

D. Rationale: This is a conscious patient in an emergency situation. The responder should complete an initial assessment, which evaluates the airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and exposure. As the patient appears to have chest discomfort and breathing symptoms, it is vital to ensure that the airway and breathing are adequate by checking for good chest rise and no evidence of cyanosis before moving on to the rest of the initial assessment. As the patient is obviously conscious, there is no need to shake him or check for a pulse. While in the secondary assessment, the rescuer will get a brief and focused history to determine the likely cause. The initial assessment must be completed first to ensure the patient is stable.

D. Rationale: Checking the patient for normal breathing is part of the BLS assessment.

C. Rationale: Checking the patient’s glucose level is part of the primary assessment.

C. Rationale: Checking the patient’s neurologic function is part of the primary assessment.

B. Rationale: Inquiring about the patient’s history of allergies and past medical history is part of the secondary assessment.

B. Rationale: Pericardial tamponade is a reversible condition. Treatment includes emergency thoracotomy when cardiac tamponade is significant in size and volume, such as in the case of trauma, or pericardiocentesis for mild tamponade. Other treatments include volume infusion with a crystalloid solution.

C. Rationale: Removal of clothing to perform a physical examination, looking for obvious signs of trauma, bleeding, burns, unusual markings, or medical alert bracelets is part of the primary assessment.

D. Rationale: Hyponatremia, though it is a potentially reversible metabolic condition, is not one of the Hs and Ts, which are the reversible causes of cardiac arrest. Pericardial tamponade is a reversible condition. Treatment includes emergency thoracotomy when cardiac tamponade is significant in size and volume, such as in the case of trauma or pericardiocentesis for mild tamponade. Pulmonary conditions such as tension pneumothorax and hypovolemia are reversible causes of cardiac arrest.