Operations Protocols & Field-Tested Solutions
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A patient is found unresponsive in his small bathroom. He is not
breathing and is sitting in the corner. Two EMTs are able to reach
him, but they are unable to stand side by side. He appears to
weigh about 150 pounds and there is no evidence that he has
been injured. Which of the following would be the quickest and
MOST practical way of moving him out of the bathroom?
A) Extremity lift
B) Long backboard
C) Direct ground lift
D) Stair chair device - answer A) Extremity lift
When moving any patient, you should do so in the safest, most
efficient way possible. If a patient is in a narrow space (ie, small
bathroom, narrow hallway)
and you and your partner cannot stand side by side to perform a
direct ground lift, the extremity lift would be the most practical
way of moving him or her.
One EMT would lift by the arms and the other by the legs; the
patient could then be moved to a larger working area. Two EMTs
should be able to safely lift a
150-pound patient. A long backboard would clearly not work in
the case of a narrow or small space because there would be little
room to the patient's left or
right to slide the board underneath him or her. A stair chair would
also likely not be possible, or practical, because of such a
confined space.
,A 52-year-old woman crashed her minivan into a tree. She is
pinned at the legs by the steering wheel and is semiconscious.
After gaining
access to the patient, you should:
A) perform a primary assessment and provide any life-saving care
before extrication.
B) immediately apply high-flow oxygen to the patient and allow
extrication to begin.
C) rapidly assess her from head to toe, obtain vital signs, and
apply a cervical collar.
D) have the fire department disentangle the patient and quickly
remove her from the car. - answer A) perform a primary
assessment and provide any life-saving care before extrication.
Unless there is an immediate threat of fire, explosion, or other
danger, you should perform a primary assessment and begin any
life-saving care as soon as
you have gained access to the patient. If you wait to do this until
after the patient has been disentangled, it may be too late; the
patient may already be dead.
After you have assessed the patient and treated any immediate
threats to life, allow extrication to commence. Once the patient
has been freed from the
vehicle, continue any lifesaving care and perform a rapid head-to
-toe assessment to identify and treat other life- threatening
injuries. Another EMT can
obtain vital signs as you rapidly assess the patient. Prepare for
immediate transport after the rapid head-to-toe assessment has
been performed and spinal
precautions have been taken (if indicated).
,When arriving at the scene of a motor vehicle crash at night, you
determine that the safest place to park the ambulance is in a
direction that
faces oncoming traffic. What should you do?
A) Position road flares around the front of the ambulance.
B) Turn all emergency lighting off to avoid blinding the traffic.
C) Turn the high-beam headlights on to alert oncoming traffic.
D) Turn your headlights off, but keep the emergency lights on. -
answer D) Turn your headlights off, but keep the emergency
lights on.
Emergency operations on the highway at night can be especially
dangerous for responders; it is important to position emergency
vehicles correctly, while at
the same time ensuring visibility for oncoming traffic without
blinding them. First of all, road flares near an automobile crash
are dangerous because leaking
fluids , such as gasoline, may not be immediately apparent; safety
triangles are safer. If your emergency vehicle is facing oncoming
traffic, you should keep
your emergency lights on, but turn your headlights off. Bright
lights, such as high-beam headlights, can effectively blind and
disorient an oncoming driver,
and could cause them to crash into the scene.
A 72-year-old woman fell and has a hip injury. She is on the
second floor of her home. Which of the following devices should
you use to
move her down the flight of stairs
, A) Stair chair
B) Long backboard
C) Wheeled stretcher
D) Scoop stretcher - answer D) Scoop stretcher
Of the options listed, the scoop stretcher, also called an
orthopaedic stretcher or split litter, would be the most appropriate
to use. The scoop stretcher is
contoured and allows for the placement of straps to secure the
patient; it also allows you to place padding around and under the
patient. The long backboard,
unlike the scoop stretcher, is flat; therefore, the patient can slide
from side to side or top to bottom, even when straps are placed.
The wheeled ambulance
stretcher is top heavy and is not safe for patient movement down
a flight of stairs or across rough terrain. Because the patient has a
hip injury, the stair chair would not be appropriate to use.
When calling in your radio report to the receiving hospital, you
should:
A) include the patient's name.
B) be brief, concise, and factual.
C) give your report only to a physician.
D) break your report into 60-second increments. - answer B) be
brief, concise, and factual.
A radio report should be brief, concise, and factual. It should
include the patient's age and sex, his or her chief complaint,
associated assessment findings,