Emergency Procedures & Response Flashcards
7 cards from real CHS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Emergency Procedures & Response flashcards as text
A patient in a monoplace chamber develops a grand mal seizure during oxygen breathing. What is the FIRST action the operator should take?
Answer: Switch the patient to air and monitor until the seizure resolves
During an oxygen-induced convulsion, the oxygen source should be switched to air and the chamber held at depth until the seizure resolves before decompression begins.
Which fire triangle element is most effectively controlled in a hyperbaric chamber to prevent combustion?
Answer: Oxygen
Because enriched oxygen environments dramatically lower ignition thresholds, controlling oxygen concentration is the primary fire prevention strategy in hyperbaric chambers.
During a multiplace chamber dive, a tender reports sudden severe chest pain and dyspnea at depth. The most likely emergency diagnosis is:
Answer: Spontaneous pneumothorax
Sudden pleuritic chest pain with dyspnea at pressure is classic for tension pneumothorax, which can expand on decompression and become life-threatening.
What is the recommended minimum distance from a hyperbaric chamber within which smoking and open flames must be prohibited?
Answer: 25 feet
NFPA 99 requires a no-smoking and no-open-flame zone of at least 25 feet around hyperbaric chambers due to the fire risk associated with elevated oxygen.
A patient undergoing hyperbaric treatment suddenly loses consciousness without a preceding seizure. After switching to air, the next priority is:
Answer: Assess airway, breathing, and circulation
Loss of consciousness requires immediate ABC assessment; airway management takes priority before any other intervention.
Which document provides the primary U.S. safety standard governing hyperbaric facility design and emergency procedures?
Answer: NFPA 99 Health Care Facilities Code
NFPA 99 is the authoritative standard for hyperbaric facility construction, equipment, and emergency protocols in U.S. healthcare settings.
When performing an emergency decompression on an unconscious patient, decompression rates should be:
Answer: Standard treatment table rates to avoid worsening the condition
Even in emergencies, decompression should follow established table rates because rapid decompression can introduce or worsen decompression sickness or arterial gas embolism.