Emergency Medical Services Flashcards
7 cards from real DHA 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 Medical Services flashcards as text
A patient presents with altered mental status, bradycardia, miosis, excessive salivation, and urinary incontinence after exposure to an unknown substance. Which antidote is MOST appropriate?
Answer: Atropine 2–4 mg IV and pralidoxime
The SLUDGE/DUMBELS presentation indicates organophosphate or nerve agent poisoning; atropine reverses muscarinic effects and pralidoxime reactivates acetylcholinesterase.
During transport of a STEMI patient, the cardiac monitor shows pulseless ventricular tachycardia. After delivering one shock at 200 J biphasic, what is the IMMEDIATE next step?
Answer: Resume CPR immediately for 2 minutes
Current AHA guidelines mandate immediate resumption of CPR for 2 minutes following any defibrillation attempt before pulse/rhythm reassessment.
A pregnant patient at 32 weeks gestation presents with severe headache, BP 168/112 mmHg, and 3+ proteinuria. Which medication is the first-line agent to prevent seizures?
Answer: Magnesium sulfate 4–6 g IV loading dose
Magnesium sulfate is the drug of choice for seizure prophylaxis in severe preeclampsia and treatment of eclamptic seizures.
What is the maximum recommended single dose of lidocaine for intraosseous administration in an adult?
Answer: 100 mg (1.5 mg/kg)
Lidocaine 40–100 mg IO is used to reduce pain during IO infusion, with 100 mg (1.5 mg/kg) being the typical maximum single dose.
A patient involved in a high-speed MVA has jugular venous distension, hypotension, and muffled heart sounds. The trachea is midline. What is the MOST likely diagnosis?
Answer: Cardiac tamponade
Beck's triad — JVD, hypotension, and muffled heart sounds with midline trachea — is classic for cardiac tamponade.
Which ventilator setting adjustment is most appropriate for a patient with suspected raised intracranial pressure (ICP) in the pre-hospital setting?
Answer: Target SpO2 ≥94% and ETCO2 35–40 mmHg (normoventilation)
Normoventilation (ETCO2 35–40 mmHg) is recommended; prophylactic hyperventilation causes cerebral vasoconstriction and worsens outcomes.
A 55-year-old male with chest pain has a 12-lead ECG showing new left bundle branch block (LBBB). According to the Sgarbossa criteria, which finding carries the HIGHEST specificity for MI?
Answer: ST elevation ≥1 mm concordant with the QRS
Concordant ST elevation ≥1 mm (moving in the same direction as the QRS) has the highest specificity (~94%) for MI in LBBB per Sgarbossa criteria.