Patient Assessment Flashcards
7 cards from real FISDAP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Assessment flashcards as text
A 22-year-old female presents with sharp, pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath. She is on oral contraceptives and returned from a long flight yesterday. You MOST suspect:
Answer: Pulmonary embolism
Oral contraceptive use combined with prolonged immobility during travel creates significant risk for deep vein thrombosis and subsequent pulmonary embolism.
Which vital sign parameter is used to calculate shock index, and what value suggests hemodynamic compromise?
Answer: Heart rate divided by systolic BP; >1.0 is concerning
Shock index = heart rate ÷ systolic BP; a value greater than 1.0 suggests significant hemodynamic compromise and shock.
During the primary assessment of an unconscious patient, you determine breathing is adequate. The NEXT step is to:
Answer: Assess circulation and control major bleeding
After confirming adequate airway and breathing, the primary assessment proceeds to circulation — assessing pulse quality and controlling life-threatening hemorrhage.
Which finding during abdominal assessment BEST indicates aortic aneurysm?
Answer: Pulsating abdominal mass
A pulsating abdominal mass is the classic prehospital finding of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
A 70-year-old male with diabetes presents with diaphoresis, nausea, and jaw pain, but denies chest pain. What is the MOST likely cause?
Answer: Atypical myocardial infarction presentation
Diabetic and elderly patients frequently present with atypical MI symptoms such as jaw pain, nausea, and diaphoresis without classic chest pain.
In pediatric patients, which formula is used to estimate a weight-based medication dose when scale weight is unavailable?
Answer: Broselow tape
The Broselow tape uses patient length to estimate weight and provides color-coded drug dosing for pediatric emergencies.
Which assessment finding BEST differentiates cardiogenic shock from distributive (septic) shock?
Answer: Warm, flushed skin in early septic shock versus cool, clammy skin in cardiogenic shock
Early septic shock causes vasodilation resulting in warm, flushed skin, whereas cardiogenic shock causes vasoconstriction with cool, pale, clammy skin.