Deck 13: Vital Signs and Monitoring Devices

Question 1

Which of the following are the vital signs that need to be recorded?

A) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature and condition
B) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature and condition, pupils, blood pressure, and bowel sounds
C) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature and condition, pupils, and blood pressure
D) Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature, pupils, and blood pressure

Answer 1

Pulse, respiration, skin color, skin temperature and condition, pupils, and blood pressure

Question 2

In a blood pressure reading of 120/80,the 120 is measuring what body process?

A) Diastolic blood pressure; when the left ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the arteries
B) Systolic blood pressure; when the right ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the veins
C) Systolic blood pressure; when the left ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the arteries
D) Systolic blood pressure; when the left ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the veins

Answer 2

Systolic blood pressure; when the left ventricles contract and the blood is forced into the arteries

Question 3

When the heart contracts and forces blood into the arteries,the pressure created is known as the:

A) pulse pressure.
B) systolic blood pressure.
C) diastolic blood pressure.
D) central venous pressure.

Answer 3

systolic blood pressure.

Question 4

A(n)________ set of vital signs is important for critical decision making for the EMT.

A) unbiased
B) accurate
C) complete
D) repeated

Question 5

A patient being transported by ambulance to the hospital can have his blood pressure measured by which of the following methods?

A) Blood pressure monitor
B) Palpation
C) Auscultation
D) Any of the above

Question 6

You are unable to find a radial pulse on a patient from a motor vehicle crash.You should:

A) listen for heart sounds
B) begin chest compressions.
C) attempt to find the carotid pulse.
D) apply the pulse oximeter.

Question 7

How often should a patient's vital signs be reassessed during transport to the hospital after he has had his pulse restored with CPR and the use of an AED?

A) Every 10 minutes
B) Every 15 minutes
C) Every 2 minutes
D) Every 5 minutes

Question 8

Breathing sounds that should concern the EMT are:

A) snoring, gurgling, wheezing, crowing, and crowning.
B) retractions, and diaphragmatic breathing.
C) tachycardia, retractions, and diaphragmatic breathing.
D) snoring, gurgling, wheezing, and crowing.

Question 9

Where do baseline vital signs fit into the sequence of patient assessment?

A) Ongoing assessment
B) At primary assessment
C) At secondary assessment
D) At the patient's side

Question 10

You respond to a cafeteria to find an unconscious person with gurgling sounds upon exhalation and inhalation.What is the probable cause of the respiratory sounds?

A) Cardiac arrest
B) Complete airway obstruction
C) Fluids in the airway
D) Tongue blocking the airway

Question 11

You are assessing a 48-year-old male who is unconscious.The scene is safe and you hear the patient gurgling.What is your next action?

A) Suction the airway.
B) Insert an airway adjunct.
C) Open the airway with a head tilt.
D) Quickly check the pulse.

Question 12

The abbreviation mmHg indicates that the blood pressure is measured by which of the following comparisons?

A) Minimum heart rate
B) Millimeters of mercury
C) Millimeters of water
D) Atmospheric pressure

Question 13

What is the pressure remaining in the arteries after the pulse wave has passed through?

A) Venous pressure
B) Systolic blood pressure
C) Diastolic blood pressure
D) Resting blood pressure

Question 14

An oxygen saturation of 97% is considered which of the following?

A) Severe hypoxia
B) Normal
C) Hypoxia
D) Significant hypoxia

Question 15

The method of taking blood pressure by using a stethoscope to listen to the characteristic sounds produced is called:

A) auscultation.
B) articulation.
C) palpation.
D) pulsation.

Question 16

A patient with a pulse rate of 120 beats per minute is considered which of the following?

A) Dyscardic
B) Normocardic
C) Tachycardic
D) Bradycardic

Question 17

Vital signs should be reassessed every ________ minutes for a stable patient.

A) 15
B) 10
C) 5
D) 20

Question 18

Recording and documenting your patient's first set of vital signs is very important because,when combined with reassessments,it allows you to do which of the following?

A) Make an accurate diagnosis of the patient's illness.
B) Compare your patient's condition with other patients' conditions.
C) Discover trends and changes in the patient's condition.
D) Fill in all of the blanks on the patient care report form.

Question 19

Upon assessment of your patient,you notice that he has cool,sweaty skin.This finding is best described as which of the following?

A) Diagnosis
B) Sign
C) Complaint
D) Symptom

Question 20

The first set of vital sign measurements obtained are often referred to as which of the following?

A) Baseline vital signs
B) Normal vital signs
C) Standard vital signs
D) None of the above

Question 21

You are attempting to assess the blood pressure of a 35-year-old male at the scene of a multiple vehicle collision.The scene is very noisy and you are unable to clearly hear the patient's heartbeat.You should:

A) use an automatic blood pressure machine.
B) obtain the blood pressure by palpation.
C) try using the patient's other arm.
D) have your partner try auscultating the blood pressure.

Question 22

Which of the following is the BEST way to assess a patient's skin temperature?

A) Place your cheek against the patient's forehead.
B) Place the back of your hand against the patient's forehead.
C) Place your cheek against the patient's abdomen.
D) Place the back of your hand against the patient's abdomen.

Question 23

In a conscious adult patient,which of the following pulses should be assessed initially?

A) Brachial
B) Radial
C) Carotid
D) Pedal

Question 24

When taking blood pressure,the cuff should be inflated to what point?

A) 30 mmHg beyond the point where the pulse disappears
B) Until the patient says it hurts
C) Until the Velcro starts to crackle
D) Until the gauge reads 200 mmHg

Question 25

You are called to care for a child who has fallen out of a third-story window.You arrive to find the child in his mother's arms.As you approach,you notice the child's skin is pale with dark spots of cyanosis.You would report this uncommon condition of blotchy skin as:

A) mottling.
B) flushed.
C) jaundiced.
D) cyanotic.

Question 26

Which of the following BEST describes the proper placement of the blood pressure cuff?

A) Covering two-thirds of the upper arm
B) Midway between the elbow and shoulder
C) One inch below the armpit
D) Covering the patient's elbow

Question 27

You are transporting a patient down a bumpy road.Your patient's blood pressure has just been measured by the monitor to be 190/110.The patient's blood pressure on scene was 130/80.You should:

A) ignore the blood pressure reading.
B) have the driver increase truck speed.
C) apply the automatic cuff to the other arm.
D) re-measure the blood pressure manually.

Question 28

All of the following are common techniques for measuring blood pressure,except:

A) Palpation
B) Rhythm method
C) Blood pressure monitor
D) Auscultation

Question 29

To determine blood pressure,the EMT should position the cuff over the upper arm and place the stethoscope over the brachial artery.Next,she should inflate the cuff,then slowly deflate the cuff,listening for clicks or tapping sounds while remembering the number at the first sound.What is the next step in taking a blood pressure?

A) Dump all the pressure and record the number as the diastolic pressure.
B) Re-inflate the cuff on the patient's arm and repeat the process to verify the reading.
C) Continue releasing pressure until the clicks or tapping stop, and record both numbers. These are the blood pressure.
D) Remove the cuff from the patient's arm, place it on the opposite arm, and repeat the process to verify the reading.

Question 30

You are transporting a patient to the hospital from a motor vehicle crash.Your patient's initial blood pressure was 88/52.You should reassess blood pressure:

A) at least every 5 minutes.
B) at least every 15 minutes.
C) only if the pulse rate changes.
D) only if the patient gets worse.

Question 31

When the EMT checks the pupils he or she is checking for what three things?

A) Movement, gaze, and equality
B) Color, equality, and reactivity
C) Reactivity, gaze, and equality
D) Size, equality, and reactivity

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a cause of unequal pupils?

A) Fright
B) Artificial eye
C) Stroke
D) Eye injury

Question 33

You are assessing a 55-year-old male complaining of chest pain and have determined that his radial pulse is barely palpable.You also determine that there were 20 pulsations over a span of 30 seconds.Based on this,how would you report this patient's pulse?

A) Pulse 20, weak, and regular
B) Pulse 20 and weak
C) Pulse 40 and weak
D) Pulse 40, weak, and irregular

Question 34

What is the normal response of the pupils when exposed to bright light?

A) Fluttering
B) Dilation
C) Constriction
D) No effect

Question 35

The device that some EMS services use as a light wave device to measure oxygen saturation (SpO₂)is called a(n):

A) capnography.
B) sphygmomanometer.
C) end tidal CO₂ meter.
D) pulse oximeter.

Question 36

What are the three ways to take blood pressure?

A) Sphygmomanometer, blood pressure monitor, and heart monitor
B) Palpation, auscultation, and blood pressure monitor
C) Sphygmomanometer, auscultation, and blood pressure monitor
D) Auscultation, palpation, and osculation

Question 37

The term cyanosis is used when the patient's skin color is noted to be which of the following characteristics?

A) Yellow
B) Blue-gray
C) Very pale
D) Flushed

Question 38

The increase in the work of breathing is reported as:

A) labored breathing.
B) troubled breathing.
C) noisy breathing.
D) obstructed breathing.

Question 39

You are called to a 72-year-old patient with weakness and headache with an initial blood pressure of 140/92.Her repeat blood pressure at 5 minutes is unchanged.Her condition is called:

A) stroke.
B) prehypertension.
C) hypertension.
D) hypotension.

Question 40

Your patient is in late stages of liver failure and has requested to be transported to the emergency department.You take your body substance isolation and move him to your cot and notice his skin is warm and dry with a yellow color.Your radio report to the hospital should state your patient is:

A) flushed.
B) mottled.
C) jaundiced.
D) cyanotic.

Question 41

Slight movement of the chest during respiration is usually indicative of which of the following?

A) Labored breathing
B) Normal breathing
C) Noisy breathing
D) Shallow breathing

Question 42

Which of the following is a normal respiratory rate for an adult at rest?

A) 12 breaths per minute
B) 10 breaths per minute
C) 24 breaths per minute
D) 22 breaths per minute

Question 43

You respond to a childcare center for a report of an injured 4-year-old.Her pulse is 130 beats per minute.Which of the following BEST describes this finding?

A) Bradycardic
B) Normal for the child's age
C) Tachycardic
D) Unable to determine without knowing the family history

Question 44

An inaccurate oxygen saturation reading can result in all of the following except:

A) carbon monoxide inhalation.
B) a patient that smokes cigarettes.
C) a patient wearing fingernail polish.
D) Any of the above

Question 45

You are assessing an 82-year-old female that has been lost in the woods behind her nursing home for several hours on a crisp fall evening.Your pulse oximeter shows her oxygen saturation to be 82% even though she appears to be breathing adequately.In order to ensure an accurate reading you should:

A) try a different pulse oximeter.
B) place the probe on the patient's toe.
C) place the probe on the patient's earlobe.
D) warm the patient's hands and try again.

Question 46

What category would include a patient with a blood pressure of 134/84 mmHg?

A) Hypotension
B) Normotension
C) Hypertension
D) Prehypertension

Question 47

An approximate normal systolic blood pressure can be calculated for infants and children by using which of the following formulas?

A) 80 plus 2 times the age in years
B) 120 plus 2 times the age in years
C) 120 minus 2 times the age in years
D) 80 times 2 plus the age in years

Question 48

The range of normal blood glucose level is from a low of 60 to 80 mg/dL to a high of:

A) 110 to 130.
B) 100 to 120.
C) 90 to 100.
D) 120 to 140.

Question 49

You are about to apply a blood pressure cuff to an unconscious patient when you notice that she appears to have a tube underneath the skin of her arm.The tube feels like it has fluid going through it.You should:

A) move the cuff down to the forearm and inflate.
B) continue to take her blood pressure in the arm.
C) find another site to measure her blood pressure.
D) use an automatic blood pressure cuff instead.

Question 50

Your patient has a heart rate of 82,a respiratory rate of 16,and a blood pressure of 120/80 and does not appear to be in any distress.You should repeat vital sign measurements at least every:

A) 5 minutes.
B) 10 minutes.
C) 15 minutes.
D) 20 minutes.

Question 51

If capillary refill is assessed in a child patient,how long should it take the normal pink color to return to the nail bed?

A) 2 seconds
B) 4 seconds
C) 3 seconds
D) 5 seconds

Question 52

When pupils are dilated they are:

A) elliptical or elongated in shape.
B) smaller than normal.
C) larger than normal.
D) irregularly shaped.

Question 53

You have a 38-year-old patient who has fainted.Following your local protocol you use a light wave device to determine the SpO₂.As the EMT,you attach the device on the patient's finger,which gives you a reading of 91.What does that reading indicate?

A) Significant hypoxia
B) Severe hypoxia
C) Normal results
D) Mild hypoxia

Question 54

Your patient is warm,dry,pink,and denies shortness of breath.Which of the following should the EMT expect to find when evaluating the patient's oxygen saturation?

A) 91%
B) 98%
C) 102%
D) 95%

Question 55

You respond to a 30-month-old patient who has passed out.Is the patient's blood pressure important to your treatment and why?

A) Yes, blood pressure must be taken on everyone because without it we cannot impact the patient's field management.
B) No, blood pressure taken on children younger than age 3 can cause damage to the tender tissues of the arm that could lead to hypertension in later life.
C) Yes, blood pressure can be taken on children because it is the only way we can understand the patient's condition.
D) No, blood pressure taken on children younger than age 3 is difficult and has little impact on the patient's field management.