Arab Board Emergency & Disaster Nursing Part 1 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Emergency Severity Index level 1

ESI level 1 is assigned to any patient who needs an immediate life-saving intervention such as intubation, defibrillation, or emergency resuscitation; treatment begins at once with no waiting-room time.

JumpSTART apnea rule

In pediatric mass-casualty triage an apneic child with a palpable pulse receives five rescue breaths; if spontaneous breathing returns the child is tagged immediate, and if not the child is tagged deceased.

Shock index

Shock index is heart rate divided by systolic blood pressure. An adult value above 0.9 suggests occult shock and warrants escalation even when the blood pressure reading still looks acceptable.

ABCDE primary survey

Airway with cervical spine protection, Breathing and ventilation, Circulation with hemorrhage control, Disability with neurological and glucose check, Exposure with temperature control; each life threat is treated before moving on.

Disaster cycle phases

Mitigation reduces hazard impact, preparedness builds response capability, response saves lives during the event, and recovery restores infrastructure along with physical and psychological health after the event.

HICS span of control

In the Hospital Incident Command System one supervisor oversees roughly three to seven subordinates, ideally five; exceeding this span requires adding divisions, branches, or groups to keep command effective.

Surge capacity levels

Conventional care uses normal resources and spaces; contingency care uses adaptive strategies and non-clinical areas; crisis care formally changes standards of care and allocates by expected survival benefit.

START triage categories

Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment sorts casualties into red immediate, yellow delayed, green walking wounded, and black deceased or expectant, using respirations, perfusion, and mental status as decision points.

Rule of Nines adult

Adult surface area is head 9%, each arm 9%, anterior trunk 18%, posterior trunk 18%, each leg 18%, perineum 1%; superficial partial-thickness burns are excluded and the patient's palm is about 1%.

Parkland burn formula

Give 4 mL per kilogram body weight per percent total body surface area burned over 24 hours; half is infused in the first 8 hours timed from injury, not from hospital arrival.

Tension pneumothorax decompression

Needle decompression at the second intercostal space midclavicular line, or fourth to fifth space anterior axillary line, precedes tube thoracostomy in an unstable patient with absent unilateral breath sounds.

Trauma lethal triad

Hypothermia, metabolic acidosis, and coagulopathy reinforce one another after major trauma; prevention uses warmed rooms and fluids, rapid hemorrhage control, and balanced blood product resuscitation.

STEMI electrocardiographic criteria

ST elevation of at least 1 mm in two contiguous limb leads or at least 2 mm in two contiguous precordial leads, or a new left bundle branch block, defines ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Defibrillation energy for VF

Biphasic shocks begin at 120 to 200 joules, or 360 joules with a monophasic device; compressions resume immediately after the shock without rhythm or pulse checks until the two-minute cycle ends.

COPD oxygen saturation target

In known chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with carbon dioxide retention risk, titrate oxygen to saturation of 88 to 92 percent and guide ventilatory support by arterial blood gas results.

Lung-protective ventilation ARDS

In acute respiratory distress syndrome use tidal volume near 6 mL per kilogram predicted body weight, adequate positive end-expiratory pressure, and plateau pressure kept below 30 cm of water.

Glasgow Coma Scale components

Eye opening scores up to 4, verbal response up to 5, and motor response up to 6, giving a total of 3 to 15; a score of 8 or less indicates the need for airway protection.

DKA diagnostic triad

Hyperglycemia above 250 mg/dL, metabolic acidosis with pH below 7.30 and bicarbonate below 18 mEq/L, and ketonemia or ketonuria; euglycemic presentations occur with SGLT2 inhibitor use.

Stroke thrombolysis window

Intravenous alteplase or tenecteplase may be given within 4.5 hours of symptom onset when blood pressure is below 185/110 mmHg and imaging excludes hemorrhage; glucose must be checked first.

Hypoglycemia 15-15 rule

For a conscious patient with glucose below 70 mg/dL give 15 g fast-acting carbohydrate, recheck in 15 minutes, and repeat until above 70, then provide a longer-acting carbohydrate or meal.

Magnesium sulfate eclampsia monitoring

Loading dose 4 to 6 g intravenously then 1 to 2 g per hour; monitor respiratory rate, deep tendon reflexes, and urine output, and give calcium gluconate if toxicity develops.

Perimortem cesarean timing

In maternal cardiac arrest with a uterus at or above the umbilicus, displace the uterus leftward and perform cesarean delivery within about four to five minutes of arrest to improve survival.

Postpartum hemorrhage four T's

Tone means uterine atony and is most common, tissue means retained placenta, trauma means laceration or rupture, and thrombin means coagulopathy; oxytocin is the first-line uterotonic.

Pediatric defibrillation energy

First shock 2 joules per kilogram, second shock 4 joules per kilogram, and later shocks at least 4 joules per kilogram; cardiac arrest epinephrine is 0.01 mg/kg of 1:10,000 solution.

Heat stroke diagnostic criteria

Core temperature above 40 degrees Celsius with central nervous system dysfunction such as altered consciousness or seizures; cooling starts immediately on scene, aiming for 38 to 39 degrees Celsius.

Organophosphate toxidrome

Cholinergic excess with salivation, lacrimation, urination, diarrhea, vomiting, bronchospasm, bradycardia, and miosis; give escalating atropine until secretions dry, plus pralidoxime and decontamination.

Acetaminophen overdose antidote

N-acetylcysteine is given when the timed serum level exceeds the Rumack-Matthew nomogram treatment line at four hours or later, or empirically for massive ingestion or unknown timing.

Airborne precautions indications

Required for tuberculosis, measles, and varicella: a negative-pressure room with the door closed, and a fit-tested N95 or equivalent respirator for every person entering.

EMTALA core obligations

United States law requires a medical screening examination, stabilizing treatment, and appropriate transfer for emergency conditions regardless of insurance, citizenship, or ability to pay; payment questions must not delay screening.

Just culture principles

Human error is consoled, at-risk behavior is coached, and reckless behavior is sanctioned; the model separates system failures from individual accountability and encourages reporting of errors and near misses.

Restraint monitoring requirements

A licensed independent practitioner order and face-to-face evaluation within one hour, monitoring every 15 minutes for violent patients, more often for medical restraints, and discontinuation at the earliest time.

SBAR handoff structure

Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation; it standardizes transfer of accountability between clinicians, reduces omission of critical information, and supports read-back of verbal orders.