About This Quiz
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) along with paramedics are on the front lines of caring for sick or injured people in emergency situations. Lives can be saved in a matter of minutes based on the quick reaction and treatment provided by these professionals. A community counts on their team of EMTs to respond to an emergency call and transport patients to a proper medical facility. Transport is usually done by ambulance, and patients are monitored and treated in transit.
EMTs are trained in basic medical skills for life-threatening situations, including stabilizing a patient, giving CPR, administering glucose for diabetics and other duties depending on the situation. This line of work requires a variety of equipment to perform the tasks. Most medical equipment for an EMT can be found in an ambulance. If you have ever spent any time in the back of an ambulance, you may be wondering what all that equipment does. Think you can recognize more than just the stretcher? Take this quiz STAT and see if you can recognize EMT equipment from a one-sentence summary.
A tourniquet should be used whenever bleeding can't be controlled through the use of direct pressure. It should be placed at least 5 cm above the wound and should be tightened enough that it cuts off circulation below the tourniquet.
When a hole is created in the trachea or lungs, air is pulled into the body, creating a sucking chest wound. A chest seal covers the hole so that air can no longer get in. Many chest seals also come with vents that allow excess air to escape, preventing a pneumothorax from developing.
A good CPR mask also creates an effective seal and contains a filter to prevent passage of liquids and secretions.
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An oximeter allows EMTs to monitor saturation of hemoglobin and detect hypoxia.
A sphygmomanometer, better known as a blood pressure cuff, is used in conjunction with a stethoscope. The cuff is inflated until the artery below the cuff is collapsed to the point of blocking blood flow. Pressure is then released until the systolic blood pressure is great enough to overcome the pressure of the cuff. Pressure continues to be released until diastolic blood pressure can overcome the cuff pressure.
A stethoscope can be used to listen for irregular heart rhythms, heart murmurs, breathing sounds, digestive sounds and as a tool for checking blood pressure.
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PPE stands for "Personal Protection Equipment." It contains multiple items that help protect the wearer from germs. These items include gloves, masks, eye protection and gowns. This equipment not only protects the emergency personnel but also protects the patient.
Hemostatic dressings work in one of three ways. Mucoadhesive agents are positively charged and react with negatively charged red blood cells to create clots. Factor concentrators absorb water from the blood to concentrate the platelets. Procoagulant supplements increasing more clotting factors. All three types result in increased blood clotting.
Often times during a trauma, a patient should not be moved unless necessary for safety. Because the patient can't be repositioned, it's sometimes necessary to cut away clothing. The patient might also need immediate care, and things like buttons, bra hooks and knots can prevent EMS from getting to a wound as quickly as possible. Trauma shears can solve that problem.
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A spinal board should be used whenever there is a suspected injury to the spine. EMTs will use a spinal board whenever a patient of pain in the area of the spine, numbness or tingling in the limbs or a decreased ability to move fingers, toes, arms or legs.
Nitrile gloves are durable, latex-free and tested by the Food and Drug Administration. This material is the most puncture resistant, gives the wearer a high level of sensitivity, resist most chemicals and has a long shelf life. They usually come in blue, purple or black in order to make punctures easier to find.
The nasal cannula is used to deliver oxygen when the patient is in a stable state. The advantage of a nasal cannula is that the patient can still speak, eat and drink while using one.
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Penlights actually have many uses, with only one of them being to check for pupil response. However, this is an extremely important response to check for, since it can be indicative of a concussion, a stroke or a reaction to certain drugs. Penlights can also be used to check areas of the mouth and throat and to examine wounds.
There are three types of defibrillators. These include external defibrillators, transvenous defibrillators and implanted defibrillators. Fibrillation is the rapid, irregular and unsynchronized contraction of muscle fibers. This prevents patients from being able to circulate blood. The delivery of large electrical charges can reverse the fibrillation and save a life.
A cervical collar is a neck brace that limits the movement of a patient's neck. The most common reason for using a cervical collar is to prevent damage to the spinal cord in the case of a broken neck.
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Splints can help protect and immobilize broken or injured bones on limbs. This helps with pain, prevents further injury, and protects the bone until treatment by an orthopedist.
It's important to sterilize an area before giving an injection. Bacteria and viruses living on the skin can be pushed into the blood during an injection. Alcohol prep pads prevent this from happening. These pads can also be used to clean wounds, scrapes and cuts.
Emergency medical personnel must take precautions to protect the public, the environment and themselves from contaminated and potentially infectious materials. All solids and liquids containing any form of body fluid or material must be disposed of in red biohazard bags.
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A suction canister is used to collect secretions and fluids from the body. These fluids could be from a patient's lungs, stomach or wounds. It provides a vacuum seal when collecting the fluid in order to pull fluids into it while also preventing the spread of pathogens.
A tension pneumothorax is a buildup of air in the pleural space. It can quickly lead to circulatory instability and compromised cardiovascular function. A needle is inserted into the pleura in order to provide an escape for the buildup of air.
The rigid eye shield can be placed over the injured and secured with tape. This ensures that no further debris can enter the injured eye.
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A bite stick allows an EMT to depress the tongue in order to provide an airway for seizure patients. This device should be used by trained professionals only, as inserting a bite stick can do more harm than good when done incorrectly. Most seizure patients will continue to breathe without help.
The endotracheal tube, sometimes referred to as an intubation tube, is inserted through a patient's mouth and into their trachea. Once inserted, the tube is connected to a ventilator, which delivers oxygen to the lungs.
A nasopharyngeal airway is useful in both conscious and unconscious patients whenever a positive oral airway can't be maintained. It's especially useful for conscious patients who can't be intubated because of the gag reflex but who are still at risk of an airway obstruction.
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While all the of the answers are technically correct, it would be a little unprofessional to offer your patient a "barf bag." An emesis bag sounds much better and looks the part too when the patient sees the bill later.
A sharps container doesn't have to be very big; it only needs to protect others. It allows EMTs and other emergency personnel to safely dispose of used needles, catheters and syringes.
An EMT needs to stay safe if they are going to be able to help others. The best way to do so is to wear protective glasses whenever there's a chance of splashes or flying debris. Some glasses even provide wrap-around protection.
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If an EMT ever responds to an emergency where multiple people are suffering from similar effects, there's always a worry of airborne contaminates. The best way to protect yourself, is to block the contaminate from reaching your airway. Some face masks even come with attached eye shields.
A containment stretcher is used to transport patients who need medical attention but have come in contact with pathogenic microorganisms. Negative pressure is created by a filter engine attached to the foot end of the unit. The stretcher also allows an EMT or other medical worker to reach into a box with attached gloves so that the patient can still be manipulated and treated.
An IV delivery isn't always possible. An intranasal mucosal atomization device can deliver safe, painless and rapidly effective treatment without needles, sterilization or an IV setup. This device deploys a mist of atomized medication that is absorbed directly through the patient’s mucosal layer and into the blood stream. Best of all, it's pain free!
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Naloxone can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose. Having this medication nearby can be a life-saving tool to restore normal respiration.
A hairy chest can cause the AED to incorrectly read the patient's heart rhythm, causing it give an improperly timed shock. The best way to prevent this is to shave the patient's chest.
Mylar blankets reflect up to 90% of a patient's body heat. This goes a long way for protecting a hypothermic patient in a pinch. These blankets pack very small and are lightweight and easy to fit in any first-aid kit.
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A lancet is the best tool for this job. A lancet is similar to a scalpel, but it's double-edged and much smaller. It's designed to create very small punctures, such as finger-sticks. This can then be used to test blood glucose, among other things.