COPR COPR - Canadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators Examination Pharmacology and Medication Administration Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A paramedic is treating a patient in wide-complex tachycardia who is hemodynamically stable. Which drug is typically considered first-line?
- Atropine
- Amiodarone (Correct answer)
- Adenosine
- Epinephrine
Correct answer: Amiodarone
Amiodarone is a first-line antiarrhythmic for stable wide-complex tachycardia due to its efficacy across multiple arrhythmia types.
Question 2: What does the term 'therapeutic index' refer to in pharmacology?
- The time for a drug to reach peak concentration
- The ratio between toxic and therapeutic doses (Correct answer)
- The rate at which a drug is eliminated
- The drug's ability to bind receptor sites
Correct answer: The ratio between toxic and therapeutic doses
The therapeutic index is the ratio between the toxic dose and the effective therapeutic dose, indicating a drug's safety margin.
Question 3: Which medication is used to treat symptomatic bradycardia in the prehospital setting?
- Lidocaine
- Amiodarone
- Atropine (Correct answer)
- Metoprolol
Correct answer: Atropine
Atropine is the first-line drug for symptomatic bradycardia as it blocks vagal tone and increases heart rate via muscarinic receptor antagonism.
Question 4: When calculating a pediatric medication dose, which formula is commonly used as a quick weight estimate for children 1–10 years?
- Weight (kg) = age + 4
- Weight (kg) = (age × 2) + 8 (Correct answer)
- Weight (kg) = age × 3
- Weight (kg) = (age + 2) × 4
Correct answer: Weight (kg) = (age × 2) + 8
The Broselow tape or the formula Weight (kg) = (age × 2) + 8 is commonly used as a quick pediatric weight estimate for dosing calculations.
Question 5: A patient receiving a morphine infusion begins to show signs of respiratory depression. The FIRST action should be:
- Stop the infusion and administer naloxone (Correct answer)
- Increase the IV fluid rate
- Administer oxygen only and monitor
- Document and continue monitoring
Correct answer: Stop the infusion and administer naloxone
Stopping the infusion and administering naloxone reverses opioid-induced respiratory depression and is the immediate priority.
Question 6: Which electrolyte imbalance can be treated prehospital with calcium chloride or calcium gluconate?
- Hypernatremia
- Hyperkalemia (Correct answer)
- Hypomagnesemia
- Hypercalcemia
Correct answer: Hyperkalemia
Calcium administration stabilizes cardiac membranes in hyperkalemia by raising the threshold potential, protecting against dysrhythmias.
COPR COPR - Canadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators Examination Pharmacology and Medication Administration Questions and Answers 2
A paramedic is treating a patient in wide-complex tachycardia who is hemodynamically stable.
Which drug is typically considered first-line?