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Environmental Emergencies Flashcards

7 cards from real CPEN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Environmental Emergencies flashcards as text

  1. A 5-year-old is stung by a scorpion in Arizona. The child is drooling, has roving eye movements, and is agitated with abnormal limb movements. Which medication is MOST effective for severe scorpion envenomation in the US?

    Answer: Antivenom (Anascorp)

    Centruroides scorpion antivenom (Anascorp) rapidly reverses neurotoxic symptoms including cranial nerve dysfunction, excessive secretions, and motor abnormalities.

  2. An 8-year-old develops a wound with a bulls-eye rash 5 days after a camping trip in the Northeastern US. She reports fatigue and arthralgia. The nurse suspects Lyme disease. Which treatment should be anticipated?

    Answer: Amoxicillin for 14–21 days

    Amoxicillin is the preferred antibiotic for early Lyme disease in children under 8; doxycycline is reserved for children ≥8 years due to dental staining risk.

  3. A 2-year-old is found in a garage with suspected CO exposure. The child is crying and has a carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) level of 22%. SpO₂ by pulse oximetry reads 98%. Which statement BEST explains this discrepancy?

    Answer: Pulse oximetry cannot distinguish COHb from oxyhemoglobin

    Standard pulse oximeters cannot differentiate carboxyhemoglobin from oxyhemoglobin, giving falsely normal SpO₂ readings; co-oximetry blood gas is required.

  4. A 12-year-old rock climber falls into a fast-moving river and is submerged for 6 minutes in 8°C water before rescue. He has a core temp of 28°C and is pulseless. What is the MOST appropriate resuscitation approach?

    Answer: Begin CPR and transport for ECMO-supported rewarming

    Cold water submersion victims with hypothermic cardiac arrest should receive CPR and be transported for extracorporeal rewarming (ECMO), as hypothermia is protective and full recovery is possible.

  5. A 9-year-old develops a painful, blistered wound on the foot after stepping on a stingray. Which treatment is MOST effective for pain control?

    Answer: Immerse the foot in hot water (43–45°C) for 30–90 minutes

    Hot water immersion (as hot as tolerated, 43–45°C) denatures the heat-labile proteins in stingray venom, providing rapid pain relief.

  6. During a wilderness camping trip, a 14-year-old develops sudden headache, ataxia, and vomiting at an altitude of 3,500 meters. Examination reveals papilledema. Which condition does this presentation indicate?

    Answer: High-Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)

    Papilledema, ataxia, and altered neurological status at high altitude indicate High-Altitude Cerebral Edema, a life-threatening progression of AMS.

  7. A 7-year-old is bitten by a cottonmouth snake on the hand. The hand is edematous with two fang marks and painful ecchymosis spreading to the forearm. Which lab abnormality is MOST expected with pit viper envenomation?

    Answer: Prolonged PT/INR, low fibrinogen, and thrombocytopenia

    Pit viper venom causes venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy with prolonged PT/INR, decreased fibrinogen, and thrombocytopenia from fibrinogen consumption.