Emergency Medical Services Flashcards
7 cards from real FDNY 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 experiencing a hypertensive emergency presents with a BP of 220/130 mmHg and sudden-onset worst headache of their life. You MOST suspect:
Answer: Subarachnoid hemorrhage
A thunderclap 'worst headache of life' with severely elevated blood pressure is the classic warning sign of subarachnoid hemorrhage requiring immediate ALS and rapid transport.
An FDNY EMT is treating a patient with suspected tension pneumothorax. Which finding differentiates tension pneumothorax from a simple pneumothorax?
Answer: Tracheal deviation away from the affected side
Tracheal deviation away from the affected side indicates mediastinal shift caused by the accumulating pressure of a tension pneumothorax, distinguishing it from a simple pneumothorax.
Which of the following BEST describes the mechanism of action of epinephrine in cardiac arrest?
Answer: It increases coronary and cerebral perfusion pressure through vasoconstriction
Epinephrine's alpha-1 adrenergic effects cause systemic vasoconstriction, increasing aortic diastolic pressure and improving coronary and cerebral perfusion during CPR.
A patient involved in a building collapse is trapped beneath debris for 4 hours. Upon extrication, you anticipate which potentially fatal complication?
Answer: Rhabdomyolysis leading to hyperkalemia and cardiac arrhythmia
Crush syndrome causes rhabdomyolysis, releasing myoglobin and potassium from damaged muscle; hyperkalemia can trigger life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias upon reperfusion.
When using a BVM on an adult patient, the CORRECT tidal volume to deliver is approximately:
Answer: 500-600 mL delivered over 1 second
Current guidelines recommend 500-600 mL (enough to produce visible chest rise) delivered over 1 second to minimize gastric inflation and barotrauma.
A neonate is born and appears pale, limp, and apneic. The FIRST intervention after drying and stimulating is:
Answer: Positive pressure ventilation at 40-60 breaths per minute
After drying and stimulating a newly born infant with inadequate breathing, positive pressure ventilation is the most important and first intervention in neonatal resuscitation.
Under FDNY protocols, which patients with chest pain are REQUIRED to receive a 12-lead ECG in the field?
Answer: All patients presenting with chest pain or equivalent anginal symptoms
FDNY ALS protocols require a 12-lead ECG for all patients with chest pain or anginal equivalents regardless of age or vital signs to detect STEMI early.