NREMT Neurological Emergencies & Stroke Cares 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which assessment tool is specifically designed to help EMTs rapidly identify a possible stroke in the field?
- Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (Correct answer)
- Glasgow Coma Scale
- APGAR score
- Wells criteria
Correct answer: Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale
The Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale evaluates facial droop, arm drift, and speech to detect stroke quickly.
Question 2: A 68-year-old has sudden right-sided weakness and slurred speech that began 45 minutes ago. What is the EMT's top priority?
- Determine exact last-known-well time and transport to a stroke center (Correct answer)
- Administer aspirin immediately
- Give oral glucose
- Delay transport until symptoms resolve
Correct answer: Determine exact last-known-well time and transport to a stroke center
Establishing time of onset and rapid transport to a stroke-capable facility is critical because treatment is time-dependent.
Question 3: When testing for arm drift in a suspected stroke, the patient should be asked to:
- Close their eyes and hold both arms out straight for 10 seconds (Correct answer)
- Squeeze your hands as hard as possible
- Touch their finger to their nose
- Raise their legs off the stretcher
Correct answer: Close their eyes and hold both arms out straight for 10 seconds
Arm drift is assessed by having the patient extend both arms with eyes closed to detect a unilateral downward drift.
Question 4: Which finding would NOT be part of the FAST stroke screening mnemonic?
- Fever (Correct answer)
- Facial droop
- Arm weakness
- Speech difficulty
Correct answer: Fever
FAST stands for Face, Arms, Speech, and Time — fever is not a component.
Question 5: A patient with a suspected stroke is found with a blood glucose of 38 mg/dL. The EMT should suspect that:
- Hypoglycemia may be mimicking stroke symptoms (Correct answer)
- The patient is definitely having an ischemic stroke
- Glucose is irrelevant to the presentation
- The patient needs immediate aspirin
Correct answer: Hypoglycemia may be mimicking stroke symptoms
Hypoglycemia is a common stroke mimic and must be corrected and reassessed.
Question 6: Why should EMTs avoid giving anything by mouth to a suspected stroke patient?
- Impaired swallowing increases aspiration risk (Correct answer)
- It raises intracranial pressure
- It interferes with the stroke scale
- It causes immediate vomiting
Correct answer: Impaired swallowing increases aspiration risk
Strokes can impair the gag and swallow reflexes, making aspiration of oral intake likely.
Question 7: A stroke caused by a ruptured blood vessel bleeding into the brain is classified as:
- Hemorrhagic stroke (Correct answer)
- Ischemic stroke
- Transient ischemic attack
- Embolic stroke
Correct answer: Hemorrhagic stroke
A hemorrhagic stroke results from rupture and bleeding of a cerebral vessel.
NREMT Neurological Emergencies & Stroke Cares 2
Which assessment tool is specifically designed to help EMTs rapidly identify a possible stroke in the field?