OFA Respiratory Emergencies & Airway Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A conscious coworker is having an acute asthma attack. What is the most appropriate first aid response?
- Place flat on back and loosen clothing
- Assist with their prescribed inhaler and keep them in an upright position (Correct answer)
- Administer oxygen at 15 L/min immediately
- Perform abdominal thrusts to clear the airway
Correct answer: Assist with their prescribed inhaler and keep them in an upright position
Helping the patient use their prescribed bronchodilator inhaler and keeping them upright (to ease breathing mechanics) are the priority first aid actions for an asthma attack.
Question 2: An adult worker is conscious but cannot speak, cough, or breathe due to a foreign-body airway obstruction. What is the FIRST action the first aider should take?
- Perform a finger sweep of the mouth
- Call 911 and wait for EMS
- Deliver firm abdominal thrusts (Correct answer)
- Lay the victim down and begin rescue breathing
Correct answer: Deliver firm abdominal thrusts
For a conscious adult with a severe (complete) airway obstruction, abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) are performed immediately to dislodge the object.
Question 3: Which set of signs and symptoms BEST describes hyperventilation?
- Slow, deep breathing with low heart rate
- Rapid deep breathing causing dizziness, tingling in hands, and lightheadedness (Correct answer)
- Cessation of breathing for more than 10 seconds
- Noisy, labored breathing with cyanosis
Correct answer: Rapid deep breathing causing dizziness, tingling in hands, and lightheadedness
Hyperventilation involves rapid, deep breathing that lowers CO₂ levels, leading to dizziness, tingling extremities, and lightheadedness.
Question 4: When a patient has a pulse but is not breathing, what is the correct rate for delivering rescue breaths to an adult?
- One breath every 2–3 seconds
- One breath every 5–6 seconds (Correct answer)
- Two breaths every 15 seconds
- Three breaths every 10 seconds
Correct answer: One breath every 5–6 seconds
For an adult with a pulse but absent breathing, rescue breaths are delivered at a rate of approximately 10–12 per minute, or one breath every 5–6 seconds.
Question 5: Which feature BEST distinguishes an anaphylactic respiratory emergency from a simple asthma attack?
- Presence of wheezing
- Complaint of shortness of breath
- Rapid progression with hives, swelling, and systemic signs (Correct answer)
- Use of accessory muscles for breathing
Correct answer: Rapid progression with hives, swelling, and systemic signs
Anaphylaxis rapidly progresses and involves systemic signs such as hives, angioedema, hypotension, and gastrointestinal symptoms in addition to bronchospasm.
Question 6: Cyanosis appearing around the lips and fingertips in a patient with breathing difficulty indicates:
- Adequate oxygenation with a normal SpO₂
- Hypoxia caused by insufficient oxygen in the blood (Correct answer)
- Hyperventilation with excess oxygen delivery
- A normal response to cold ambient temperature
Correct answer: Hypoxia caused by insufficient oxygen in the blood
Cyanosis is a bluish discoloration caused by deoxygenated hemoglobin, signaling that tissues are not receiving adequate oxygen.
Question 7: What is the appropriate first aid management for a worker who has inhaled smoke and is conscious but coughing severely?
- Keep in the smoky environment and reassure the worker
- Move to fresh air, keep upright, monitor breathing, and call EMS (Correct answer)
- Place in recovery position immediately
- Administer water to soothe the airway
Correct answer: Move to fresh air, keep upright, monitor breathing, and call EMS
Removing the victim from the source, positioning them upright to support breathing, and activating EMS are the correct priorities for smoke inhalation.
OFA Respiratory Emergencies & Airway Management 2
A conscious coworker is having an acute asthma attack.
What is the most appropriate first aid response?