Neurological Emergency Protocols Flashcards
7 cards from real EMD practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Neurological Emergency Protocols flashcards as text
Which symptom combination during caller interrogation is most consistent with an acute ischemic stroke?
Answer: Sudden facial drooping, arm weakness, and slurred speech
The FAST acronym (Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call) identifies the classic acute stroke symptoms recognized in EMD protocols.
When a caller reports a patient is actively seizing, what is the EMD dispatcher's immediate priority?
Answer: Ensure the patient is safe and will not be injured
The immediate EMD priority during an active seizure is patient safety — clearing hazards from the area and never restraining the patient or placing objects in the mouth.
In EMD neurological protocols, what does the rapid consciousness assessment scale 'AVPU' stand for?
Answer: Alert, Verbal, Pain, Unresponsive
AVPU is a rapid consciousness scale used during caller interrogation: Alert, responds to Verbal stimuli, responds to Pain, or Unresponsive.
A dispatcher receives a call about a 65-year-old who suddenly cannot speak and has right-sided arm weakness. What should the dispatcher assume until proven otherwise?
Answer: Acute stroke
Sudden speech difficulty combined with unilateral weakness are classic stroke symptoms; EMD protocols require treating these as an acute stroke to minimize time to definitive treatment.
What pre-arrival instruction is most appropriate for a patient who has just stopped seizing and is now unresponsive but breathing?
Answer: Place the patient in the recovery (lateral recumbent) position
A post-seizure unresponsive but breathing patient should be placed in the recovery position to protect the airway and prevent aspiration.
Which question during caller interrogation best helps distinguish a stroke from a hypoglycemic emergency?
Answer: Has the patient eaten recently or taken insulin?
Asking about recent food intake and insulin use helps identify hypoglycemia, which can mimic stroke symptoms and is rapidly reversible with glucose administration.
A caller describes a patient with sudden onset of the 'worst headache of their life.' What should the EMD dispatcher suspect?
Answer: Subarachnoid hemorrhage
A sudden, severe 'thunderclap' headache described as the worst ever experienced is the classic presentation of subarachnoid hemorrhage, a life-threatening neurological emergency.
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