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Airway, Respiration & Ventilation Flashcards

7 cards from real Paramedics Exam practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Airway, Respiration & Ventilation flashcards as text

  1. A trauma patient has absent breath sounds on the left with tracheal deviation to the right and JVD. Blood pressure is 70/40. What intervention takes priority?

    Answer: Needle decompression of the left chest

    Absent breath sounds, tracheal deviation away, JVD, and hypotension are classic signs of tension pneumothorax, requiring immediate needle decompression.

  2. Which ETCO2 reading during CPR suggests good quality chest compressions and adequate perfusion?

    Answer: 20–40 mmHg

    ETCO2 of 20–40 mmHg during CPR correlates with adequate cardiac output and perfusion; values below 10 mmHg suggest poor compressions or futile resuscitation.

  3. A patient with a suspected C-spine injury requires intubation. Which technique is most appropriate?

    Answer: Orotracheal intubation with manual in-line stabilization

    Orotracheal intubation with manual in-line cervical stabilization (MILS) maintains the airway while minimizing cervical spine movement.

  4. A patient with epiglottitis is in a 'sniffing position' and drooling. Which airway management approach is preferred in the prehospital setting?

    Answer: Allow patient to maintain position of comfort and prepare for surgical airway backup

    Epiglottitis can cause complete airway obstruction if agitated; the patient should be kept calm in position of comfort with surgical airway equipment on standby.

  5. During ventilation of a pediatric patient, you notice gastric distension. What is the most appropriate corrective action?

    Answer: Reduce tidal volume and ensure proper head positioning

    Gastric distension from over-ventilation is corrected by reducing tidal volume to 6–8 mL/kg and ensuring proper airway alignment; NG decompression may follow.

  6. Which of the following correctly describes the Sellick maneuver and its current evidence-based status?

    Answer: Cricoid pressure that may impair laryngoscopy view; not routinely recommended by current guidelines

    Sellick maneuver (cricoid pressure) has not been proven to reliably prevent aspiration and can worsen laryngoscopy view; current evidence does not support routine use.

  7. A patient presents with stridor after a bee sting. SpO2 is 91%. Which is the FIRST priority intervention?

    Answer: Epinephrine 0.3 mg IM to the lateral thigh

    Anaphylaxis with stridor indicates impending airway closure from laryngeal edema; epinephrine 0.3 mg IM is the first-line treatment to reverse this process.