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
A patient has a tracheostomy and is in respiratory arrest. Your initial attempt to ventilate via the stoma is unsuccessful. What is the next step?
Answer: Seal the stoma and ventilate via BVM applied to mouth and nose, then reattempt stoma ventilation
If stoma ventilation fails (e.g., mucus plug), occlude the stoma and attempt oral/nasal BVM ventilation; if that also fails, clear the stoma or insert a pediatric ETT into the stoma.
Persistent ETCO2 above 50 mmHg in a mechanically ventilated patient most likely indicates:
Answer: Hypoventilation — increase rate or tidal volume
Elevated ETCO2 above 45 mmHg indicates CO2 retention from hypoventilation; the ventilation rate or tidal volume should be increased.
When sizing a nasopharyngeal airway (NPA), the correct method is:
Answer: Measure from the tip of the nose to the earlobe, and select diameter matching the patient's pinky finger
An NPA is sized by measuring from the tip of the nose to the earlobe for length, and choosing a diameter approximately equal to the patient's little finger.
A drowning victim is unresponsive with agonal respirations. Which is true regarding ventilation priorities?
Answer: Early rescue breaths are particularly important in drowning as cardiac arrest is usually asphyxial
Drowning cardiac arrest is primarily asphyxial; early rescue breaths to correct hypoxia are especially important and should not be delayed.
Which lung compliance finding is consistent with tension pneumothorax in a ventilated patient?
Answer: Sudden increase in peak airway pressures with decreased tidal volume delivery
Tension pneumothorax causes the affected lung to collapse and mediastinal shift, dramatically increasing airway resistance and peak pressures while reducing effective tidal volume.
A patient is intubated after a heroin overdose. During transport, ETCO2 suddenly drops from 40 to 5 mmHg. SpO2 was 99% and is now declining. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: ETT has become dislodged from the trachea
An abrupt near-zero ETCO2 with declining SpO2 strongly indicates ETT dislodgement; esophageal placement produces very low or absent ETCO2 after initial CO2 is cleared.
Which of the following describes the correct technique when using a two-person BVM to ventilate an apneic adult?
Answer: One provider uses a C-E clamp with both hands to maintain mask seal; the second provider squeezes the bag
Two-person BVM technique has one provider dedicated to maintaining a two-handed C-E clamp mask seal while the second provider delivers breaths by squeezing the bag.