West Coast EMT - Block 4 COMPLETE EXAM LATEST VERSION
2026-2027 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Which of the following statements regarding crush syndrome is correct?
Select one:
A. With crush syndrome, massive blood vessel damage occurs following severe soft-tissue injuries,
such as amputation of an extremity.
B. Tissue damage that occurs in crush syndrome is severe, but kidney injury is unlikely because
toxins are quickly eliminated from the body.
C. Provided that a patient with a crush injury is freed from entrapment within 6 hours, the amount
of tissue damaged is generally minimal.
D. Compromised arterial blood flow leads to crush syndrome and can occur when an area of the
body is trapped for longer than 4 hours. - answer>>D. Compromised arterial blood flow leads to crush
syndrome and can occur when an area of the body is trapped for longer than 4 hours.
You have applied a dressing and roller-gauze bandage to a laceration on the arm of a young female.
During transport, she begins to complain of numbness and tingling in her hand. You should:
Select one:
A. remove the gauze bandage and replace it with an elastic one.
B. carefully manipulate her arm until the symptoms subside.
C. remove the bandage and dressing and apply another one.
D. assess distal circulation and readjust the bandage as needed. - answer>>D. assess distal circulation
and readjust the bandage as needed.
A 30-year-old female presents with redness, inflammation, and pain to her left eye. During your
assessment, you note that she is having difficulty keeping her eyes open. You should suspect that she is
experiencing:
Select one:
A. acute retinitis.
,B. a detached retina.
C. conjunctivitis.
D. a corneal abrasion. - answer>>C. conjunctivitis.
A 4-year-old female has a peanut lodged in the external auditory canal of her right ear. You should:
Select one:
A. thoroughly flush her ear with sterile saline.
B. use tweezers to try to remove the object.
C. remove the peanut with a cotton-tipped swab.
D. transport her to the emergency department. - answer>>D. transport her to the emergency
department.
A 52-year-old unrestrained female struck the steering wheel with her face when her truck collided with
another vehicle. She has obvious swelling to her face and several dislodged teeth. A visual exam of her
mouth reveals minimal bleeding. She is conscious and alert with a blood pressure of 130/80 mm Hg, a
pulse of 110 beats/min, and respirations of 22 breaths/min with adequate tidal volume. You should:
Select one:
A. assist ventilations with a BVM device, immobilize her spine, suction her oropharynx for 30 seconds,
and transport.
B. apply oxygen via a nonrebreathing mask, suction her airway as needed, disregard the dislodged teeth,
and transport.
C. fully immobilize her spine, attempt to locate the dislodged teeth, suction as needed, and transport.
D. fully immobilize her spine, irrigate her empty tooth sockets, attempt to locate the dislodged teeth,
and transport. - answer>>C. fully immobilize her spine, attempt to locate the dislodged teeth, suction
as needed, and transport.
A 6-year-old female was riding her bicycle and struck a clothesline with her throat. She is breathing, but
with obvious difficulty. Your assessment reveals a crackling sensation in the soft tissues of her neck and
facial cyanosis. In addition to the appropriate airway management, the intervention that will MOST likely
improve her chance of survival is:
,Select one:
A. requesting a paramedic ambulance.
B. careful monitoring her vital signs.
C. rapidly transporting her to the hospital.
D. quickly immobilizing her spinal column. - answer>>C. rapidly transporting her to the hospital.
A factory worker was splashed in the eyes with a strong acid chemical. He complains of intense pain and
blurred vision. Your ambulance does not carry bottles of sterile saline or water. You should:
Select one:
A. neutralize the acid chemical in his eye with an alkaline chemical.
B. mix baking soda with water and irrigate his eyes with the solution.
C. irrigate both eyes continuously for 20 minutes with plain water.
D. flush both eyes with an alcohol-based solution and transport. - answer>>C. irrigate both eyes
continuously for 20 minutes with plain water.
Bleeding from soft-tissue injuries to the face is MOST effectively controlled with:
Select one:
A. direct pressure using dry, sterile dressings.
B. digital pressure to an adjacent pulse point.
C. ice packs and elevation of the patient's head.
D. pressure dressings and chemical ice packs. - answer>>A. direct pressure using dry, sterile dressings.
Following blunt trauma to the face, a 21-year-old male complains of a severe headache and decreased
ability to move his eyes. This patient's clinical presentation is MOST consistent with:
Select one:
A. a blowout fracture.
B. optic vessel compression.
, C. a lacerated globe.
D. a ruptured eyeball. - answer>>A. a blowout fracture.
If your patient swallows blood following facial trauma, there is an increased risk of ________.
Select one:
A. altered LOC
B. vomiting
C. hypotension
D. GI trauma - answer>>B. vomiting
Significant trauma to the face should increase the EMT's index of suspicion for a(n):
Select one:
A. displaced mandible.
B. spinal column injury.
C. airway obstruction.
D. basilar skull fracture. - answer>>B. spinal column injury.
The Adam's apple is:
Select one:
A. the lower part of the larynx that is formed by the cricoid cartilage.
B. the upper part of the larynx that is formed by the thyroid cartilage.
C. below the thyroid cartilage and forms the upper part of the trachea.
D. the small indentation in between the thyroid and cricoid cartilages. - answer>>B. the upper part of
the larynx that is formed by the thyroid cartilage.
The MOST significant complication associated with facial injuries is:
2026-2027 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Which of the following statements regarding crush syndrome is correct?
Select one:
A. With crush syndrome, massive blood vessel damage occurs following severe soft-tissue injuries,
such as amputation of an extremity.
B. Tissue damage that occurs in crush syndrome is severe, but kidney injury is unlikely because
toxins are quickly eliminated from the body.
C. Provided that a patient with a crush injury is freed from entrapment within 6 hours, the amount
of tissue damaged is generally minimal.
D. Compromised arterial blood flow leads to crush syndrome and can occur when an area of the
body is trapped for longer than 4 hours. - answer>>D. Compromised arterial blood flow leads to crush
syndrome and can occur when an area of the body is trapped for longer than 4 hours.
You have applied a dressing and roller-gauze bandage to a laceration on the arm of a young female.
During transport, she begins to complain of numbness and tingling in her hand. You should:
Select one:
A. remove the gauze bandage and replace it with an elastic one.
B. carefully manipulate her arm until the symptoms subside.
C. remove the bandage and dressing and apply another one.
D. assess distal circulation and readjust the bandage as needed. - answer>>D. assess distal circulation
and readjust the bandage as needed.
A 30-year-old female presents with redness, inflammation, and pain to her left eye. During your
assessment, you note that she is having difficulty keeping her eyes open. You should suspect that she is
experiencing:
Select one:
A. acute retinitis.
,B. a detached retina.
C. conjunctivitis.
D. a corneal abrasion. - answer>>C. conjunctivitis.
A 4-year-old female has a peanut lodged in the external auditory canal of her right ear. You should:
Select one:
A. thoroughly flush her ear with sterile saline.
B. use tweezers to try to remove the object.
C. remove the peanut with a cotton-tipped swab.
D. transport her to the emergency department. - answer>>D. transport her to the emergency
department.
A 52-year-old unrestrained female struck the steering wheel with her face when her truck collided with
another vehicle. She has obvious swelling to her face and several dislodged teeth. A visual exam of her
mouth reveals minimal bleeding. She is conscious and alert with a blood pressure of 130/80 mm Hg, a
pulse of 110 beats/min, and respirations of 22 breaths/min with adequate tidal volume. You should:
Select one:
A. assist ventilations with a BVM device, immobilize her spine, suction her oropharynx for 30 seconds,
and transport.
B. apply oxygen via a nonrebreathing mask, suction her airway as needed, disregard the dislodged teeth,
and transport.
C. fully immobilize her spine, attempt to locate the dislodged teeth, suction as needed, and transport.
D. fully immobilize her spine, irrigate her empty tooth sockets, attempt to locate the dislodged teeth,
and transport. - answer>>C. fully immobilize her spine, attempt to locate the dislodged teeth, suction
as needed, and transport.
A 6-year-old female was riding her bicycle and struck a clothesline with her throat. She is breathing, but
with obvious difficulty. Your assessment reveals a crackling sensation in the soft tissues of her neck and
facial cyanosis. In addition to the appropriate airway management, the intervention that will MOST likely
improve her chance of survival is:
,Select one:
A. requesting a paramedic ambulance.
B. careful monitoring her vital signs.
C. rapidly transporting her to the hospital.
D. quickly immobilizing her spinal column. - answer>>C. rapidly transporting her to the hospital.
A factory worker was splashed in the eyes with a strong acid chemical. He complains of intense pain and
blurred vision. Your ambulance does not carry bottles of sterile saline or water. You should:
Select one:
A. neutralize the acid chemical in his eye with an alkaline chemical.
B. mix baking soda with water and irrigate his eyes with the solution.
C. irrigate both eyes continuously for 20 minutes with plain water.
D. flush both eyes with an alcohol-based solution and transport. - answer>>C. irrigate both eyes
continuously for 20 minutes with plain water.
Bleeding from soft-tissue injuries to the face is MOST effectively controlled with:
Select one:
A. direct pressure using dry, sterile dressings.
B. digital pressure to an adjacent pulse point.
C. ice packs and elevation of the patient's head.
D. pressure dressings and chemical ice packs. - answer>>A. direct pressure using dry, sterile dressings.
Following blunt trauma to the face, a 21-year-old male complains of a severe headache and decreased
ability to move his eyes. This patient's clinical presentation is MOST consistent with:
Select one:
A. a blowout fracture.
B. optic vessel compression.
, C. a lacerated globe.
D. a ruptured eyeball. - answer>>A. a blowout fracture.
If your patient swallows blood following facial trauma, there is an increased risk of ________.
Select one:
A. altered LOC
B. vomiting
C. hypotension
D. GI trauma - answer>>B. vomiting
Significant trauma to the face should increase the EMT's index of suspicion for a(n):
Select one:
A. displaced mandible.
B. spinal column injury.
C. airway obstruction.
D. basilar skull fracture. - answer>>B. spinal column injury.
The Adam's apple is:
Select one:
A. the lower part of the larynx that is formed by the cricoid cartilage.
B. the upper part of the larynx that is formed by the thyroid cartilage.
C. below the thyroid cartilage and forms the upper part of the trachea.
D. the small indentation in between the thyroid and cricoid cartilages. - answer>>B. the upper part of
the larynx that is formed by the thyroid cartilage.
The MOST significant complication associated with facial injuries is:
